Gerbruder Weiss Ges. M. B. H. Settles Charges of Unlicensed Exports

The U.S. Department of Commerce today announced that Gebruder Weiss Ges. m. b. H. (Gebruder Weiss), of Vienna, Austria, has agreed to pay a $6,000 civil penalty to settle charges that it aided and abetted the shipment of thyroglobulin testing kits from the United States to Iran through Austria in violation of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) charged that, on January 16, 1999, Gebruder Weiss aided and abetted the export of thyroglobulin testing kits from the United States to Iran through Austria without prior authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Department of the Treasury, as required by the EAR. Gebruder Weiss fully cooperated with the investigation.

The United States maintains a comprehensive embargo on trade with Iran because of Iran’s support for international terrorism. Under the terms of the embargo, most exports to Iran are prohibited unless they are authorized in advance by OFAC. The export of items to Iran without OFAC approval is a violation of the EAR and is subject to criminal penalties and administrative sanctions.

Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Julie L. Myers commended Special Agent Christina Murphy, of BIS’s Los Angeles Field Office, for her efforts in the investigation.