Massoud Habibion, Mohsen Motamedian Plead Guilty In Computer Exports To Iran

WASHINGTON -- Two businessmen have pleaded guilty in the illegal export of computer equipment to Iran.

In federal court, Massoud Habibion admitted conspiring with a company in Tehran to export computers through Dubai to Iran without obtaining licenses from the U.S. government. Habibion also admitted selling $4.9 million in computer-related shipments to a company in Dubai, knowing that most of the exports were destined for Iran.

Habibion co-owned Online Micro LLC in Costa Mesa, Calif., along with Mohsen Motamedian, who pleaded guilty to obstruction. The businessmen, both U.S. citizens, told a government witness to lie about whether Iran was the true destination for the goods. The government described shipments between May 2007 and December 2010.

Motamedian faces up to 20 years in prison; Habibion, up to five years.

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Comments

[trron9]

02:36 PM on 02/18/2012

A dialogue with Iran, possibly trade could possibly diffuse tension between them and the West! We certainly could benefit from cheaper oil! If Iran sees there's big money to be made in cooperating with the International Community perhaps they'd consider abandoning their nuclear ambitions! Iran has had their economic struggles like the rest of the world, money or a bomb? Yes these business men broke the law and should be punished, in my opinion by hefty fines not prison time! They were selling computers not arms! Computers bring internet access as people around the world see how other cultures have freedoms they to will want those freedoms, I think this is why we see uprisings in the Middle East right now as people want to be free of oppressive regimes! Knowledge is power, that power can bring about change from within!

[Stephen a Fazekas]

12:28 AM on 02/18/2012

I have always wanted to build extremely realistic fake MANPADs, They would fire with a real rocket motor have a real warhead on them just no IR seeker but with a disassembled cell phone with its ringer connected to a blasting cap hidden in the war head and just blow them up

[Stephen a Fazekas]

12:25 AM on 02/18/2012

Mean while the US government has sold weapons to iran after the revolution use the profits to buy cocaine from fascist militant group in central america that committed genocide to turn into crack to sell on the streets of the US to fund a . How many people went to jail for that again?

[Shivaite]

11:12 AM on 02/17/2012

Lost opportunity here.

They should have continued to sell computers to Iran and placed spyware in the computers, right on the chips.

[farleft1917]

11:43 AM on 02/17/2012

Indeed. But we love to hate more than to win.

[authorized-user]

08:40 AM on 02/18/2012

How do we know they didn't?

[blurredmolly]

10:58 AM on 02/17/2012

burn them at the stake.

[frank day]

10:11 AM on 02/18/2012

Yes, I don't usually approve of the death penalty but I'll make an exception this once.

[blurredmolly]

10:16 AM on 02/18/2012

same here.