NY man, firm guilty of illegal computer exports

   Jeng “Jay” Shih, 54, a U.S. citizen, and his Queens, N.Y.-based company Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corp., pleaded guilty on Friday in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-origin computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates.
   At the court hearing, Shih and his company each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to defraud the United States. The maximum sentence is five years in prison and $1 million in criminal fines. Sentencing has been scheduled for Jan. 13, 2012.
   Under the plea terms and related civil settlements with the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security and Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, Shih and his company have agreed to forfeiture of a money judgment in the amount of $1.25 million. In addition, Shih and Sunrise are denied export privileges for 10 years, although this penalty will be suspended provided that neither Shih nor Sunrise commits any export violations, the Justice Departments said.
    Shih was arrested on a criminal complaint on April 6. He and his company were later indicted on April 21. According to court documents filed in the case, beginning as early as about 2007, Shih conspired with a company operating in Dubai and Tehran to procure U.S.-origin computers through Sunrise and export those computers from the United States to Iran, through Dubai, without first obtaining a license from BIS or authorization from OFAC.
   Specifically, in April 2010, the defendants caused the illegal export of 368 units of computer-related goods to Dubai, which were later sent to Iran. Later that month, they caused the illegal export of 158 additional units of computer-related goods to Dubai, which were later sent to Iran. The defendants subsequently caused an additional 185 units of computer-related goods to be illegally exported to Iran via Dubai.