U.K. Citizen Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison For Attempt to Procure High-Powered Microwave System for Iran

Saber Fakih, 48, of the United Kingdom, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations that posed a significant risk to U.S. national security.

The announcement was issued by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Dugan of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, Washington Field Office; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Baltimore Field Office; and FBI Assistant Director Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division; and Homeland Security and Investigation’s Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI’s Baltimore Field Office.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Saber Fakih to serve three years of supervised release.

According to his plea agreement, Saber Fakih conspired with Bader Fakih, 43, of Canada, Altaf Faquih, 72, of the United Arab Emirates, and Alireza Taghavi, 48, of Iran, to export and attempt to export an Industrial Microwave System (IMS) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran, without first obtaining the requisite license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Read more: Department of Justice