U.S. and Hong Kong (2009)

U.S. Department of Justice

The United States Attorney's Office
Southern District of Florida

Press Release

DEFENDANT CONVICTED OF ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT CONSPIRACY

March 06, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, Miami Field Division, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement (“OEE”), and Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), Office of Investigations, announced that defendant Joseph Piquet was convicted on all counts by a federal jury in Fort Pierce after a four-day trial in Case No. 08-14031-Cr-Martinez/Lynch. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 14, 2009 at 2 pm in Fort Pierce before Judge Martinez. After his conviction, Piquet was immediately remanded into custody.

Piquet was convicted of seven separate counts arising from a conspiracy to purchase high-tech, military use electronic components from Northrop Grumman Corporation, and to then ship the items to Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China without first obtaining required export licenses under the Arms Export Control Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Among those items involved in the export conspiracy were high power amplifiers designed for use by the U.S. military in early warning radar and missile target acquisition systems, as well as low noise amplifiers that have both commercial and military use.

The testimony at trial showed that on five separate occasions spanning from March 2004 through February 2005, Piquet bought the restricted electronic components and submitted false End Use Certificates to the manufacturer to conceal the intended final destination of the parts, which he then forwarded through conspirators in Texas and Hong Kong.

Mr. Acosta commended the detailed and collaborative investigative work of OEE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice, which led to the successful prosecutions. The case was prosecuted in Fort Pierce by Assistant United States Attorneys Diana Acosta and Theodore Cooperstein.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.