MOBILE, Ala. -- An Iranian man pleaded guilty in federal court today toattempting to illegally export fighter jet or military aircraft fromthe United States to Iran, prosecutors said.
Omid Khalili facesup to 10 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine after he arrangeda deal for aircraft parts with an undercover agent, according to theU.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Khaliliand another man, known only as Masun, had worked with the Iraniangovernment to procure military supplies, prosecutors said. The paircontacted the undercover agent in November.
Khalili was arrested in March after arriving in Miami, prosecutors said, and Masun has not been found by authorities.
Themen were looking for replacement parts for a military aircraft that wassold to Iran by the U.S. before the Iranian revolution in 1979,according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Tommy Loftis, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, declined to say what type of aircraft was being discussed.
"Today'splea underscores the continuing threat posed by Iranian procurementnetworks," said David Kris, assistant attorney general for nationalsecurity, in a news release.
Khalili first sent an e-mail to the undercover agent and asked for prices on a list of aircraft parts, prosecutors said.
Theagent replied with the prices, and the defendants told the agent thatthe items would have to be shipped through another country to get toIran, prosecutors said.
More than $70,000 in cash payments weresent from a bank in the United Arab Emirates to a bank in Alabama as adown payment, prosecutors said.
The aircraft parts are listed onthe U.S. Munitions List and can't be exported from the country withouta license from the State Department, according to the U.S. Attorney'sOffice.
Also, the items can't be exported to Iran without aTreasury Department license because of the U.S. trade embargo on Iran,according to prosecutors. The men hadnt obtained any of the requiredlicenses.
Khalili and Masun were named in a nine-countindictment in January that included charges of conspiracy, moneylaundering, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Actand the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according toprosecutors.
The case against Khalili comes after the Mobile-based indictment, arrest and later guilty plea of international arms dealer Jacques Monsieur.
Monsieur pleaded guilty Nov. 23 in Mobile to trying to smuggle engines for fighter jets to Iran, a plot that included extensive contacts with an Alabama-based undercover agent.
Striking a deal with prosecutors, Monsieur admitted that he attempted ship J85-21 engines and other parts to Iran for use in aging F-5 fighter jets that the U.S. sold to Iran before its 1979 revolution.
A 6-count indictment accuses Monsieur and co-defendant Dara Fotouhi -- an Iranian currently living in France -- with conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling and violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
According to the indictment, Monsieur was seeking engines for F-5 fighter jets and C-130 military transport planes on behalf of Iran.
The charges stem from an eight-month investigation led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents based in Mobile and included face-to-face meetings with one undercover agent in London and Paris to hash out the plan to smuggle the banned aircraft parts to Iran through Colombia, according to the indictment.
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