Elderly Virginia man imprisoned for conspiring with Iran

72-year-old Virginia resident Behrouz Mokhtari was sentenced to 41 months in prison earlier this week for attempting to violate the United States sanctions against Iran, according to the US Department of Justice. 

Mokhtari had engaged in prohibited business practices on behalf of the Islamic Republic and was forced to forfeit $2,862,598 USD (10,642,695.66 NIS) that he had obtained by criminal action. He was also forced to forfeit his property in California which had an estimated value of over $1.5 million USD.

Mokhtari had initially pled guilty in the District of Maryland to two counts of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economics Power ACT. The court documents stated that in the first charge, Mokhtari was working for Iran from at least March 2018 until September 2020.

The second charge stated that Mokhtari had engaged in a separate conspiracy for Iran from February 2013 until at least June 2017.

In Mokhtari’s earlier conspiracy, he had worked with a number of other individuals to illegally imports petrochemical substances to and from Iran via his front company, East & West Shipping Inc.

Mokhtari had developed a network of businesses across the United Arab Emirates and Iran which he referred to as “the FSR Network.” It was through this network that controlled resources were sold using the company accounts.