US federal authorities arrested a man in Colorado on Saturday on charges he smuggled goods to Iran.
In a 39-count federal indictment unsealed Monday, prosecutors allege Mansour Moghtaderizadeh smuggled aircraft parts and other supplies for use in the aviation industry from the United States to Iran from 2005 through 2007, defying the US sanctions in place on Iran at that time, according to the Denver Channel.
US prosecutors filed the indictment in 2010. Moghtaderizadeh, an Iranian citizen, recently applied for a visa to travel to the United States in order to attend a family member's graduation in Denver. Sources told Denver7 Investigates high-level US government officials debated whether Moghtaderizadeh would be granted the visa and whether he would be arrested upon his return.
Denver7 Investigates captured exclusive video of Moghtaderizadeh arriving at Denver International Airport on Thursday afternoon, reuniting with several people who awaited his arrival.
According to court documents, federal authorities arrested Moghtaderizadeh on Saturday in Colorado.
The indictment claims Moghtaderizadeh procured goods from the United States on behalf of customers "including military end-users in Iran."
The indictment accuses Moghtaderizadeh of smuggling aviation course indicators, aerospace metal sheets and rods, camouflage paint, sealant, resin and chemicals, and other items made in the US for use in Iran. The indictment alleges the suspect and his companies created fictitious shipping documents for some of the items.
Moghtaderizadeh is set to make his next appearance in federal court in Denver on June 16. His Denver-based attorney, Harvey Steinberg, declined to comment to Denver7 Investigates on the charges at Moghtaderizadeh's initial court appearance on Monday.
