A 43-year-old business owner in the US has pleaded guilty to exporting products without a license to Pakistani atomic and space agencies in violation of US federal laws and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Imran Khan, of North Haven, Connecticut, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty on June 2 in Hartford federal court to violating US export law, US Attorney for the District of Connecticut Deirdre Daly said.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2012 to December 2016, Khan and others were engaged in a scheme to purchase goods that were controlled under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and export those goods without a license to Pakistan, in violation of the EAR.
Khan conducted business as Brush Locker Tools or as Kauser Enterprises-USA.
When asked by US manufacturers about the end-user for a product, Khan either informed the manufacturer that the product would remain in the US, or he completed an end-user certification indicating that the product would not be exported.
After the products were purchased, they were shipped by the manufacturer to Khan's North Haven residence or to a business owned by him.
The products were then shipped to Pakistan on behalf of either the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) or the National Institute of Lasers and Optronics (NILOP), all of which were listed on the US Department of Commerce Entity List, the Justice Department said in a statement.