Iran, China lead the world in stealing U.S. military equipment, technology

Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced that Iran and China lead the world in stealing sensitive U.S. military equipment and technology. This information was gleaned from documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from the Justice Department's National Security Division. The documents include a report entitled, "Significant Export Control Cases Since September 2001," which was prepared by the Counter Espionage Section (CES), and includes the charges, investigative agency, defendants, and disposition of each case, says a representative.

According to the Justice Department report, which was labeled "For Official Use Only," Iran and China were cited for 31 and 20 violations respectively between September 29, 2001 and May 16, 2008. Among the "significant" cases listed by the CES:

-- U.S. v. Eugene Hsu, et al. (9/21/01): Eugene Hsu, David Chang and
Wing Chang were charged with "Conspiracy and an attempt to export military
encryption units to China through Singapore." All received guilty verdicts
however Wing Chang is still listed as a fugitive.

-- U.S. v. Avassapian (12/03): Sherzhik Avassapian was a Tehran-based
broker working for the Iranian Ministry of Defense when he attempted to
"solicit and inspect F-14 fighter components, military helicopters and C-
130 aircraft which he intended to ship to Iran via Italy." Avassapian
pleaded guilty to issuing false statements.

-- U.S. v. Kwonhwan Park (11/04): Kwonhwan Park was charged with
"Exporting Black Hawk engine parts and other military items to China."
Pleaded guilty and sentenced to 32 months in prison.

-- U.S. v. Ghassemi, et al. (10/06): Iranian national Jamshid Ghassemi
and Aurel Fratila were charged with "Conspiracy to export munition list
items -- including accelerometers and gyroscopes for missiles and
spacecraft -- to Iran without a license." Ghassemi and Fratila are at large
in Thailand and Romania respectively. Justice is currently seeking their
deportation.

In October 2008, the Department of Justice announced that criminal charges had been issued against more than 145 defendants in the previous fiscal year. Approximately 43 percent of these cases involved munitions or other restricted technology bound for Iran or China.

According to a Justice Department news release included in the documents released to Judicial Watch: "The illegal exports bound for Iran have involved such items as missile guidance systems, improvised explosive device (IED) components, military aircraft parts, night-vision systems, and other materials. The illegal exports to China have involved rocket launch data, space shuttle technology, missile technology, naval warship data, unmanned aerial vehicle or drone technology, thermal imaging systems, military night-vision systems, and other materials."