Iranian woman pleads guilty in Minnesota in tech smuggling case

Prosecutors say Negar Ghodskani established front company in Malaysia to illegally obtain restricted technology from US firms

By AP 10 August 2019, 1:48 am

Edit

This undated photo provided by the Sherburne County Sheriff's Office shows Negar Ghodskani. Ghodskani, an Iranian woman, pleaded guilty in Minnesota on Friday, Aug. 9, 2019 to conspiring to facilitate the illegal export of communications technology from the US to Iran. (Sherburne County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Illustrative image of a prison guard. (Abur Sultan/Flash90)

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — An Iranian woman has pleaded guilty in Minnesota to conspiring to facilitate the illegal export of technology from the US to Iran.

Forty-year-old Negar Ghodskani entered her plea Friday before US District Judge Joan Ericksen in Minneapolis. Ghodskani was indicted in 2015 in Minnesota and arrested in Australia in 2017, where she became the subject of a long extradition fight.

Her attorney, Robert Richman, said she arrived in the US last month after she stopped fighting extradition. He said she pleaded guilty because she wanted to accept responsibility for her actions and that they’ll ask the judge to sentence her to time served.

Federal prosecutors say Ghodskani and others established a front company in Malaysia to illegally obtain restricted technology from American companies, including one in Minnesota.