Florida Company Settles Allegations of Illegal
Export of Night Vision Equipment to Japan

The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that ABO (USA) Inc. of Miami, Florida has agreed to a suspended civil fine of $20,000 and the denial of export privileges for two years to settle charges that the company violated the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by exporting night vision scopes to Japan without the required U.S. Government authorization. ABO’s export privileges are denied to all destinations other than Canada.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) charged that ABO committed four violations of the EAR by conspiring to export and exporting second generation night vision scopes to Japan without the required export license from BIS. A BIS license is required to export second generation night vision devices from the United States to all destinations except Canada.

ABO was charged with falsifying invoices and shipping documents and disassembling the night vision scopes before export to avoid detection by U.S. authorities. ABO is the final co-conspirator to be charged and to settle this administrative enforcement action involving the illegal export of night vision scopes to Japan. Two other companies, Bushnell Corporation and Hakko, a Japanese firm, were previously charged and agreed to settlements in this enforcement action.

Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Julie L. Myers commended Senior Special Agent David J. Poole of BIS’s Boston Field Office for his efforts in this investigation.