The Pentagon removed China-based Hesai Technology from its list of Chinese companies that it said have ties to that country’s military but immediately relisted the firm, according to a pair of Federal Register notices published this week.

Chinese national Lin Chen pleaded guilty last week for his role in a conspiracy to illegally export controlled U.S. technology to Chinese end users, including for a company on the Commerce Department’s Entity List (see 2404260019). As part of a plea agreement, Chen pleaded guilty to causing an unlawful export in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 28, when he faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on a lawsuit filed this month by Chinese drone-maker DJI Technology Co., saying in an Oct. 22 email the agency “does not provide information or statements regarding any pending litigation matters.” DJI is challenging the Pentagon's designation of the firm as a Chinese military company (see 2410210038) following similar successful challenges by other firms based in China (see 105070015, 2105120047 and 2105240053).

The U.S. on Oct. 15 urged the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to dismiss a lawsuit from nonprofit advocacy group Texas for Israel and its members challenging the constitutionality of the Biden administration's West Bank-related sanctions authority.

A dual U.S. and Iranian citizen on Oct. 7 was arrested for allegedly violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by sending digital and physical gift cards loaded with U.S. dollars to Iran, DOJ announced. Kambiz Eghbali, a Los Angeles resident, was charged alongside Iranian nationals Hamid Hajipour and Babak Bahizad for the scheme, which also included charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and commit money laundering.

A Dutch court sentenced an unnamed Soviet Union-born defendant to two years and eight months in prison last week for exporting more than 460 sanctioned aircraft parts to three Russian companies, the London office of Duane Morris said.

Four Kentucky residents were arrested on Oct. 4 after conspiring to ship firearms to Iraq without obtaining an export license, DOJ said. They were indicted on conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act and smuggle goods from the U.S., among other charges.

The Bureau of Industry and Security on Oct. 4 again renewed the temporary denial order for Russian airline Ural Airlines, saying it has continued to illegally operate aircraft on flights within Russia and to and from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The order, first issued in October 2022 (see 2210170009) and renewed twice (see 2310100017), bars the airline from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 4 agreed to hear a lawsuit brought by the Mexican government against a group of gun manufacturers and one gun distributor for their role in aiding the trafficking of guns into Mexico. The lawsuit accuses the gun makers of marketing, distributing, selling and designing guns in ways that knowingly arm Mexican drug cartels through corrupt gun dealers and illegal sales practices (Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, Sup. Ct. # 23-1141).

The District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Oct. 1 unsealed an indictment against Russian citizen Aleksandr Ryzhenkov, the "second-in-command" of the Russian cybercriminal group Evil Corp., for using the BitPaymer ransomware variant against various U.S. individuals to "hold their sensitive data for ransom," DOJ announced.