Three Iranians arrested in Miami on charges of violating US sanctions

A former University of Miami professor has been arrested, along with his wife and sister, on charges of illegally purchasing genetic sequencing equipment from American factories and transporting it to Iran.

The first trial of Mohammad Faghihi, 52, his wife Farzaneh Modarresi, 53, and his sister Faizeh Faghihi, 50, began on Tuesday, September 14 (September 23), in Miami federal court. All three are charged with “acts against the United States, money laundering and several other crimes.”

The family owns a Florida company called Express Gene, according to the Associated Press. According to the lawsuit, Express Gene received numerous online wire transfers totaling approximately $3.5 million from accounts in Malaysia, China, Singapore, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates between October 2016 and November 2020.

Part of this money was spent on purchasing genetic sequencing equipment from American factories and sending it to Iran, all of which was done without a license and in violation of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

According to the prosecutor, "Mohammad Faghihi arrived at Miami International Airport from Iran in February and lied to customs and security officers that he had not done any work or research related to his job in Iran."

This is despite the fact that, according to security officials, he is the director of a laboratory at the Shiraz Medical School registered in his name: Dr. Faghihi Medical Genetics Center. A search of Faghihi's luggage revealed 17 vials of unknown biological material, placed in ice packs and hidden under bread and other food items.

Faghihi was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami from 2013 to 2020. During this time, he also served as a senior researcher for several National Institutes of Health grants.

U.S. security officials say, “Express Gene and Faghihi received large amounts of money through international online money transfers during this same period.” However, Faghihi failed to fulfill his obligations to the university or the National Institutes of Health.

There is no mention of Faqihi's lawyer or lawyers or his family in the online court documents.

Source: DW