The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordered Hobby Lobby to forfeit a cuneiform tablet engraved with a portion of the epic of Gilgamesh, the Justice Department announced July 27. Hobby Lobby bought the tablet, dubbed the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet and originating in what is now Iraq, from an international auction house for display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Law enforcement seized the tablet in September 2019, as it was alleged to have been illegally brought into the U.S. An antiques dealer and a U.S. cuneiform export shipped it by international post without declaring the contents, the release said. “Forfeiture of the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet demonstrates the Department’s continued commitment to eliminating smuggled cultural property from the U.S. art market,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thwarting trade in smuggled goods by seizing and forfeiting an ancient artifact shows the department’s dedication to using all available tools, including forfeiture, to ensure justice.”

Arif Ugur, a Turkish national formerly living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was indicted July 21 for his role in illegally shipping defense technical data to Turkey for the production of U.S. military parts, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a news release. Ugur's actions were found to have violated the Arms Export Control Act. The Department of Defense found that some goods were substandard and not fit for use by the U.S. military, the release said. As sole managing officer of the Anatolia Group, Ugur, beginning in 2015 acquired various DOD contracts to provide the military with machine parts and hardware items, the Department of Justice alleged. The contracts required that the parts be manufactured in the U.S. Ugur claimed Anatolia made its parts stateside, when it actually made them in Turkey, Justice said. Ugur then oversaw the shipment of DOD technical data to Anatolia's facilities in Turkey -- a move that required an export license seeing as they were subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulation and the United States Munitions List. He did not acquire these licenses, violating the Arms Export Control Act, Justice said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined a New York online money transmitter and provider more than $1.4 million for violating U.S. sanctions on the Crimea region of Ukraine, Iran, Sudan and Syria. Payoneer came to a settlement agreement with OFAC after illegally processing more than 2,000 payments for parties in sanctioned countries, OFAC said in a July notice. The fine was OFAC’s third highest this year.

Arash Yousefi Jam, an Iranian national residing in Ontario, pleaded guilty to exporting U.S. goods to Iran (see 2101130010), the Department of Justice said July 22. Jam worked with others to obtain goods from at least three U.S. companies and ship them to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. The goods included nine electrical discharge boards, one CPU board, two servomotors and two railroad crankshafts, DOJ said. The goods were shipped through the United Arab Emirates and payment was made from banks outside Iran. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 14.

Yi-Chi Shih, a Hollywood Hills, California, resident, was sentenced to over five years in prison for his role in a scheme to illegally ship integrated circuits with military applications to China, the Department of Justice said July 22. Shih was convicted of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Administration Regulations and fined more than $600,000 in fines and restitution to the IRS (see 1907020071).

A federal grand jury in San Diego indicted four Chinese nationals for the alleged hacking into the computer systems of dozens of companies, universities and government entities in the U.S. and abroad during 2011-18, the Justice Department said in a July 19 news release. Three of the people, Ding Xiaoyang, Cheng Qingmin and Zhu Yunmin, were officers for the Hainan State Security Department (MSS) tasked with coordinating the computer hackers through a front company that the Chinese state agency established, Hainan Xiandun Technology Development. The fourth person, Wu Shurong, worked at Hainin Xiandun and created the malware to hack the systems used by foreign governments, companies and universities, DOJ said.

Ge Songtao, a Chinese national, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in federal prison for conspiring to send false export information through the Commerce Department's Automated Export System and attempting to fraudulently export maritime raiding craft and engines to China, the Department of Justice said in a July 16 news release. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida ordered Ge to pay $114,834.27, the amount that he caused to be wired to a U.S. manufacturer to buy the raiding craft and engines.

A California resident was sentenced to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to smuggle counterfeit cell phone components from China, a July 9 Justice Department press release said. Chan Hung Le conspired with others to bring in counterfeit Apple, Samsung and Motorola products from China, generating over $18 million in revenue from sales in the scheme. The phone parts were brought in using mailboxes the conspirators set up with virtual office service providers in Oklahoma and Texas under a fake business name, JV Trading Solutions, from 2011 to 2015. The parts were then sold through online stores. “[Le]…orchestrated an elaborate scheme to deceive customs agents by creating covert shipping channels from Hong Kong and China to different U.S. states,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “From this conduct, and this deception, [Le] generated millions of dollars in profit. [Le] enlisted numerous other parties in his conduct -- including his romantic partner, his employees (witting or unwitting), other family members, and the unwitting virtual mailbox service companies." Prosecutors called it a "sophisticated, long-standing, and highly profitable offense.”

Zoulin Cai, a.k.a. “Allen Cai,” of San Gabriel Valley, California, pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to produce and ship counterfeit laptop computer batteries and other goods from China to the U.S., where they were sold online, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a June 29 news release. The batteries, sold on eBay and Amazon, were falsely advertised as new products, using brands such as Apple, Dell, HP and Toshiba to cover the counterfeit goods, ICE said. Fake lithium-ion laptop batteries carry significant safety risks, including risks of extreme heat, fire and explosions, the release said. The Chinese shipping companies covered the counterfeit trademarks with black tape to disguise the marks from customs officials. Cai admitted receiving over $3.5 million in imports and over $23 million in online sales along with his co-conspirators. Cai has an Oct. 4 sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Jose Rafael Vasquez of Dallas was convicted by a federal jury for attempting to ship firearms, magazines and ammunition to Mexico, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas said in a July 1 news release. Vasquez attempted to enter Mexico Oct. 15, 2020, through the Laredo Port of Entry carrying the firearms, magazines and ammunition in his vehicle. He was carrying three AK-47 rifles, eight semi-automatic handguns, 16 handgun magazines and about 4,700 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. Trial testimony indicated that senior members of Mexican criminal organizations highly valued these weapons, the release said.