Charges filed over computer shipments to Iran

APRIL 21,2011

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury has indicted companies in California and New York and their owners on charges of illegally sending millions of dollars of computer equipment to Iran.

Indictments released Thursday by the Justice Department name Jeng "Jay" Shih and his Sunrise Technologies and Trading Co. of New York City, and Massoud Habibion and Mohsen Motamedian and their Online Micro LLC of Costa Mesa, Calif., for their alleged role in exporting laptop computers that made their way to Iran by way of Dubai.

Prosecutors say neither company obtained a required export license from the Treasury Department before shipping the computers. The defendants face charges of conspiracy and lying to investigators.

—Copyright 2011 Associated Press