An Iranian national and lawful U.S. permanent resident who is the founder and chief executive officer of a Tehran-based engineering company has been arrested in connection with a federal indictment charging him with unlawfully exporting sophisticated electronics to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Bahram Mohammad Ostovari, a 66-year-old resident of Tehran and Santa Monica, was arrested when he arrived Thursday afternoon at Los Angeles International Airport, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and three counts of violating the IEEPA and pleaded not guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Ostovari — who became a lawful permanent U.S. resident in May 2020 — was released on $1.3 million bond. His trial is set for Sept. 2.
The indictment unsealed Friday alleges that Ostovari and his alleged co-conspirators obtained and shipped sophisticated computer processors, railway signaling equipment, and other electronics and electronic components to his company — identified in the indictment as “Company A” — in Iran from at least May 2018 to this July, and that he used two front companies he controlled in the United Arab Emirates as conduits.
Ostovari and his co-conspirators allegedly intentionally concealed from electronics suppliers in the United States and elsewhere that the items were destined to go to Iran, allegedly falsely stating that the two companies in the UAE were the end users, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Many of the items were controlled under federal regulations, and their export to Iran without a license was prohibited, according to the indictment, which alleged that Ostovari was aware of the U.S. sanctions.
If convicted, Ostovari would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.