Pair Charged With Illegal Exports to Iran

The owner of a Newport Beach firm and a company manager were indicted Thursday on charges of illegally exporting to Iran electronic testing and measuring equipment that could be used to develop missile guidance systems and nuclear weapons.

Reza (Ray) Amiri, 43, an Iranian national and owner of Ray Amiri Computer Consultants, and Mohammed (Don) Danesh, 55, the firm’s operations manager, were charged in a 17-count indictment in federal court in Los Angeles.

The men were arrested Aug. 28 after investigations by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Amiri is in custody and has been denied bail, while Danesh, a naturalized U.S. citizen, is free on $50,000 bond.

Federal prosecutors allege that between April, 1989, and October, 1990, the pair and unnamed accomplices exported sensitive high-technology electronic equipment to destinations in Iran, including the Ministry of Defense, the Iran Telecommunications Research Center and the Iran Telecommunications Manufacturing Co. The equipment, which has both commercial and military applications, included oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and pulse generators, prosecutors said.

The equipment had a market value of about $60,000, the prosecutors said.

Amiri and Danesh, a Mission Viejo resident, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the U.S. Export Administration Act, eight counts of illegally exporting the equipment and eight counts of submitting false export shipping declarations.

If convicted on all counts, Amiri and Danesh could each face a maximum of 120 years in prison and $4.25 million in fines.