Iranian-American given 25 years for trying to buy missiles for Tehran
Reza Olangian convicted in 2016 of trying to buy anti-aircraft missiles after sting by undercover DEA agent
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NEW YORK — A dual citizen of Iran and the United States was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to buy surface-to-air missiles and aircraft components for the Iranian government in violation of US sanctions.
Reza Olangian, of Los Gatos, California, was sentenced in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday. A jury convicted him in 2016 of charges including conspiring to acquire and transfer anti-aircraft missiles.
Olangian was arrested in Estonia in 2012 and then extradited to the US.
Reza Olangian, American-Iranian man sentenced to 25 years in prison for violating #US sanctions on #Iran. pic.twitter.com/ruwhScWo8q
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) March 15, 2018
Prosecutors said the 57-year-old had arranged to buy the missiles from a Drug Enforcement Administration informant posing as a Russian arms dealer. They said the deal involved 10 missiles, but that Olangian ultimately wanted to acquire at least 200.
Olangian’s lawyer said he will appeal.
The Times of Israel Community.