A Lebanese national has been sentenced for allegedly exporting drone parts and technology to Hezbollah, announced the U.S. Justice Department on Monday.
Usama Hamade, 55, was sentenced by Chief Judge John Tunheim in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to 42 months in prison, for conspiring to illegally export goods and technology in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Export Administration Regulations, the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to federal prosecutors.
From 2009 through 2011, Hamade conspired with others to export U.S. origin goods and technology, including inertial measurement units suitable for use in uncrewed aerial vehicles, or “UAVs;” digital compasses suitable for UAV use; a jet engine; piston engines; and recording binoculars.
He did so without obtaining the required export licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State, in violation of IEEPA, the Export Administration Regulations, the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court.
The ultimate beneficiary of Hamade’s actions was the U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization Hezbollah, according to evidence presented by the government.
