Publication Type:
- International Enforcement Actions
A San Diego federal grand jury indicted two Belgians, Willy A.E. De Greef and Frederic Roland Nicholas Depelchin, for obtaining aircraft and helicopter parts from U.S. suppliers and transferring them to Iran in violation of the U.S. trade embargo on Iran. The parts were allegedly purchased through two Belgium-based companies, Meca Airway Ltd. and Meca Overseas Airways Ltd., which De Greef and Depelchin co-owned. The parts, valued in the millions of dollars, included fuel cells, navigation systems, communication controls, turbine bypass valves, switches and fuel level indicators. Fraudulent documentation allegedly misled U.S. vendors as to the parts' intended final destination. Both men face numerous charges, including conspiracy to export to an embargoed country, wire fraud, smuggling and money laundering. De Greef is in custody, but Depelchin is still at large.
Footnotes:
[1] Indictment, U.S. v. De Greef, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, May 24, 2011.
[2] Greg Moran, "Feds: Two Belgians Sold Aircraft Parts to Iran," San Diego Union-Tribune, May 17, 2011.