Publication Type:
- International Enforcement Actions
Three members of a Bogota, Colombia family pleaded guilty to U.S. federal charges for illegally attempting to export 22 F-5 fighter jet engines to Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Executive Orders banning exports to Iran. Amparo Echeverri Valdes, Carlos Alfredo Pantoja-Coral, and Diego M. Echeverri were each sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. They were detained in Florida, while a fourth family member, Felipe Echeverri, is still at large and believed to be in Colombia. Between January and March 2011, the family members conspired to sell the engines to an undercover agent for $320,000, and to help export the engines from Miami to Iran, via Panama.
Footnotes:
[1] "4 Family Members Charged in Conspiracy to Export F-5 Fighter Jet Engines to Iran," News Release, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, March 23, 2011.
[2] "Four Charged in Plot to Export Jet Engines to Iran," Agence France-Presse (AFP), March 23, 2011.
[3] Judgment, U.S. v. Diego M. Echeverri, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.
[4] Judgment, U.S. v. Carlos Alfredo Pantoja-Coral, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.
[5] Judgment, U.S. v. Amparo Echeverri Valdes, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.