2 Florida Residents Convicted of Attempting to Ship Dual-Use Rebreathers to Libya
Peter Sotis of Delray Beach, Florida, and Emilie Voissem of Sunrise, Florida, were convicted of participating in an illegal export scheme to ship rebreather diving equipment to Libya, the Department of Justice said. Rebreathers, which have dual civilian and military applications, are included on the Commerce Control List and require an export license from the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. Sotis and Voissem did not acquire this license when they attempted to ship the rebreathers to Libya in 2016, despite being told by a Commerce special agent that a license was required.
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The trial at a federal district court in Virginia showed that the pair misled Virginia shipping company Ramas about what the special agent said about the rebreathers. Sotis also threatened a government witness not to cooperate with the federal investigation, DOJ said. The two were convicted of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and will be sentenced Jan. 6, 2022.