May 9, 2007

Brooklyn man who violated U.S. Arms Export Control Act is sentenced

NEW HAVEN, CONN. - Kevin J. O'Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Leib Kohn, age 68, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Christopher F. Droney in Hartford to 30 days of imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release. On December 15, 2004, Kohn and his now-defunct companies, L & M Manufacturing and NESCO NY Inc., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act by sending military components out of the United States without the required authorization from the U.S. Government. Kohn and his companies have also paid a fine in the amount of $25,000.

According to documents filed with the Court and to statements made in court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Kohn on March 19, 2004. At that time, a search warrant was executed at Kohn's Brooklyn residence. Two days earlier, the Israeli authorities, working in conjunction with U.S. authorities, conducted a search at the business premises of Q.P.S in Binyamina, Israel and there located certain of the items that Kohn had purchased from U.S. manufacturers and shipped to Israel.

On April 15, 2004, a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport returned a two-count Indictment against Kohn, L & M Manufacturing and NESCO NY Inc. The indictment alleges that since May 2003, Kohn has continuously procured various munitions items from U.S. manufacturers, including one based in Connecticut, and shipped them to Israel without seeking permission of the U.S. Government for the export. These items are controlled by the U.S. State Department and require licenses and approvals from the U.S. State Department prior to export.

According to the indictment, some of the items Kohn procured and exported are: Parts designed for use in military radar, parts for the F-4 Phantom jet fighter aircraft, and parts for the Hawk guidance missile systems. In particular, the Indictment alleges that Kohn procured wiring harnesses for guidance radar of the Hawk Missile System from a Connecticut company, a fire control radar system for the F-4 Phantom fighter jet aircraft, an audio frequency amplifier for the F-5 jet fighter aircraft from RDB Aeromax in Chatsworth, California, and engine parts for the F-4 Phantom jet fighter aircraft from Unique Aeronautics of Sun Valley, California. In each instance, Kohn was advised through documentation that export of these items was prohibited absent a valid export license from the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Attorney O'Connor noted that the investigation is ongoing. Special Agents of U.S. Department Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted this investigation, in cooperation with the Israeli National Police.

Assistant United States Attorney Mark D. Rubino is prosecuting the case.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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