Dallas-Area Businessmen Borna Faizy and Touraj Ghavidel Charged With Illegally Exporting Computers to Iran

Two Dallas-area businessmen have been charged in a plot involving the illegal export of computers to Iran.

Borna Faizy, also known as “Brad,” and Touraj Ghavidel, also known as “Brent Dell,” the corporate owners of Signal Microsystems in Addison, Texas, were arrested Thursday morning on an indictment alleging that they illegally shipped computer equipment to Iran through Dubai.

Their business sells computers domestically and internationally.

The indictment alleges that the 42-year-old Faizy of Frisco and 44-year-old Ghavidel conspired together and with others to export computers and equipment from the United States to Iran, in violation of the prohibitions imposed upon that country by the U.S. Government, without first having the authorizations or licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The men are believed to have evaded regulations, prohibitions, and licensing requirements of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, which prohibit the unauthorized exportation of goods from the U.S. to a third country if the goods are intended or destined for Iran.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that the duo actively recruited Iranian customers by marketing their computer business to individuals, and attended a computer trade show known as “GITEX” in Dubai to recruit Iranian customers.

Faizy and Ghavidel are each charged with one count of conspiracy to illegally export to Iran, nine substantive counts charging illegal export of goods to Iran, and one count of making false statements to a federal agency.

Upon conviction, the conspiracy count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Each of the substantive counts carries a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison and the false statement counts carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. All of the counts carry a maximum fine of $250,000.