Federal prosecutors say a Columbus man charged with defying U.S. trade sanctions by illegally exporting gas and oil pipeline parts to Iran has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.
64-year-old Behrooz Behroozian violated export control laws by sending parts to Iran that had both commercial and military uses. He was accused of using an Ohio computer parts company he bought in 2006 to hide the sale, profiting up to 40 thousand dollars annually. The components would initially be shipped to the United Arab Emirates and then exported to Iran. The U.S. imposed trade sanctions on Iran in May 1995.