Commie Girl
1st March 2004, 00:18
Canadian receives fine, probation in Cuba embargo trial
PHILADELPHIA - The long-running case of a Canadian businessman charged with violating the U.S. embargo against Cuba came to an end Friday with a fine and a sentence of a year's probation.
James Sabzali, 45, pleaded guilty to a charge of "smuggling" several thousand dollars worth of supplies destined for the island.
He pleaded guilty in exchange for the probation and a $10,000 fine. With the sentence, he avoids deportation. Sabzali has lived in Philadelphia since 1996.
He had been charged with 75 counts of violating the 1917 U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act. He faced a possible life sentence and a $19-million fine.
U.S. prosecutors said Sabzali broke the law while working for the American company Brotech Corp. U.S. officials said the company circumvented the trade embargo by selling products to foreign companies, which then shipped them to Cuba.
Brotech Corp. is accused of selling $2.1 million US worth of water treatment chemicals to Cuba between 1992 and 2000.
Sabzali was first convicted on 21 charges in April 2002 was later overturned. In June 2003, a judge granted Sabzali a retrial.
Written by CBC News Online staff
What a bunch of assholes :blink:
PHILADELPHIA - The long-running case of a Canadian businessman charged with violating the U.S. embargo against Cuba came to an end Friday with a fine and a sentence of a year's probation.
James Sabzali, 45, pleaded guilty to a charge of "smuggling" several thousand dollars worth of supplies destined for the island.
He pleaded guilty in exchange for the probation and a $10,000 fine. With the sentence, he avoids deportation. Sabzali has lived in Philadelphia since 1996.
He had been charged with 75 counts of violating the 1917 U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act. He faced a possible life sentence and a $19-million fine.
U.S. prosecutors said Sabzali broke the law while working for the American company Brotech Corp. U.S. officials said the company circumvented the trade embargo by selling products to foreign companies, which then shipped them to Cuba.
Brotech Corp. is accused of selling $2.1 million US worth of water treatment chemicals to Cuba between 1992 and 2000.
Sabzali was first convicted on 21 charges in April 2002 was later overturned. In June 2003, a judge granted Sabzali a retrial.
Written by CBC News Online staff
What a bunch of assholes :blink: