US Citizen Sentenced for Conspiring to Violate US Sanctions on Iran
Niloufar Bahadorifar, a U.S. citizen originally from Iran, was sentenced to four years in prison for conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran by providing financial services to the Iranian government and for structuring cash deposits, DOJ announced. The Irvine, California, resident was found guilty of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
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Starting in 2015, Bahadorifar provided financial and other services to Iranian individuals and entities, including to co-defendant Mahmoud Khazein, who plotted to kidnap a journalist in the U.S. in a bid to quell dissent against the Iranian regime, DOJ said. While Bahadorifar was not charged in the kidnapping conspiracy, she caused a payment to be made to a private investigator for surveillance of the journalist on Khazein's behalf. Bahadorifar also structured cash deposits worth at least $470,000.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Bahadorifar "willfully violated sanctions and knowingly provided financial support to Iranian intelligence assets." Helping "malign foreign governments by violating sanctions can have devastating consequences, including for those targeted by hostile regimes for retribution. This office will continue to prosecute efforts to subvert sanctions and is proud to protect victims from repressive regimes."