A Pakistani-origin man in the US has been jailed for two years for violating American export laws by trying to ship a thermal imaging camera worth USD one lakh to Pakistan without proper permission.
Bilal Ahmed, 34, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of wilfully violating export control regulations under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
He was regularly involved in negotiation, purchase and export of materials from US manufacturers to overseas locations, including Pakistan, Chicago court documents showed yesterday.
Ahmed, received orders for goods from Pakistani entities, including Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and then purchased and exported those items to the Pakistani entities.
Federal authorities alleged that Ahmed knew about the export of goods, particularly the export of goods designated as 'dual use' items, was controlled in some instances by the Department of State and the Department of Commerce.
Items exported by Ahmed included, among other things, a FLIR HRC-U thermal imaging camera, carbon fiber to make 'bullet proof-vests', and microwave laminate, all to Pakistan, Federal prosecutors alleged.
Each of those items was on a Commerce Department list of controlled export goods for reasons of national security and regional stability.
A license was required to ship the items to Pakistan. Ahmed exported and attempted to export those items to Pakistan without ever having applied for such a license.
"For a period of at least four years, defendant made it his business to export items from the US to overseas locations, without obtaining the necessary licenses and approvals when required," the Assistant US Attorney Bethany Biesenthal said.
"In fact, based just on the purchase orders recovered from defendant's computer at the time of his arrest, purchase orders reflected the export of approximately 203 items from the United States to Pakistan," he alleged.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to about six years in prison.
Ahmed, was the owner, president and registered agent of Trexim Corporation, an Illinois corporation, which was in the business of purchasing items for export from the US.
