NEW YORK, June 20 (UPI) -- A New York grand jury Monday handed down a 317-count indictment accusing 11 companies and five individuals of trying to evade sanctions against Iran.
The indictment came the same day the U.S. Treasury Department accused 10 shipping companies and three individuals of being affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
"Today our office is shining a spotlight on the fraudulent activities of IRISL, which has been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations for its role in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance said in a release.
"IRISL and its sanctioned affiliates used a web of aliases or corporate alter egos across the globe to exploit the services of financial institutions located in Manhattan. For sanctions to be effective, they must be enforced. New York remains the No. 1 target of terrorist organizations around the world, and today's joint action will make it more difficult for Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism. It falls to both federal and state authorities to work cooperatively in an area vital to all of our security."
The indictment accuses the defendants of conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions by falsifying bank records to deceive banks in Manhattan into processing more than $60 million worth of payments.
IRISL is Iran's state-sponsored shipping line and operates throughout the world. The alleged scam grew out of IRISL's need to conduct business in U.S. dollars.
"As the private sector around the world increasingly turns its back on Iran's national shipping line, IRISL's efforts to evade international sanctions and increased scrutiny have grown more and more desperate," said Adam Szubin, director of the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
"The persistent attempts by IRISL to deceive the world, including through the front companies identified today, attest to the weakness of IRISL as it tries to maintain a semblance of legitimacy while supporting Iran's proliferation activities."
