Salesman Sentenced To 44 Mos. For Drill Rig Conspiracy

A federal judge in Florida sentenced a Lebanese businessman to 44 months in prison this week for his role in a scheme to unlawfully export U.S.-made heavy machinery to Iran, capping off an investigation led by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement.

Brian Assi, 63, was convicted in October 2024 of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). A jury held that Assi worked with Iranian nationals to route drill rigs through Iraq and Turkey in an effort to disguise their ultimate destination of Iran, a country long designated by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The case centered on the sale of two blasthole drills, machinery used in mining operations to bore holes that are then filled with explosives and detonated, creating cracks that facilitate further excavation. 

As previously reported by the Gainesville Sun,  Assi previously worked as a Middle East-based salesman for multinational heavy machinery manufacturer Sandvik. According to evidence presented at his trial, he conspired with Iranian buyers linked to Sakht Abzar Pars Co. (SAP-Iran). The scheme involved shipping the rigs to Turkey, using an Iraqi distributor as a front customer and submitting false information to the U.S. government's Automated Export System (AES) to conceal Iran’s involvement.

“The defendant threatened U.S. economic and national security by conspiring and concealing his efforts to circumvent our export controls to provide heavy machinery to Iran, a designated state sponsor of terrorism for the past 40 years,” U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida John P. Heekin said in a statement. “My office will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who violates our laws and offers material support to America’s enemies.”

The illegal transaction also involved laundering approximately $2.7 million through Turkey and the U.S.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security led the investigation. The case was prosecuted by the Northern District of Florida and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.