Where Industry and Security Intersect
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Department of Commerce The Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, Lisa A. Prager, today announced that a $237,000 civil penalty has been imposed on UCAR International, Inc., of Nashville, Tenn. The penalty settles allegations that the company illegally exported ATJ grade graphite to various foreign countries for over a period of two years. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Export Administration controls ATJ grade graphite because of its usage in rocket nozzles and reentry vehicle nose tips.
In 1997, the Washington Area Field Office learned that within one month's time, UCAR had applied for several export licenses for graphite. UCAR did not have a history with the Department of Commerce of exporting graphite, although they had applied for export licenses for other commodities in the past.
A four-year investigation revealed that from September 1995 through August, 1997, UCAR had, on at least 38 occasions, exported various grades of fine and superfine graphite to multiple foreign destinations without the required Commerce Department export licenses.
Acting Assistant Secretary Prager commended the efforts of David Nardella and Mark Cavallucci, former agents of the Washington Area Field Office, and Agent David Martin for their work during this investigation.
In April of 2002 the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) changed its name to the Bureau of Industry and Security(BIS). For historical purposes we have not changed the references to BXA in the legacy documents found in the Archived Press and Public Information.