The Indian head of an international electronics firm pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of shipping restricted weapons technology to the Indian government, the US Justice Department said.
Parthasarathy Sudarshan, president of Cirrus Electronics with offices in the United States, Singapore and India, admitted to the felony charge of “conspiracy to violate” various laws, including the Arms Export Control Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The 47-year-old Sudarshan faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison, a 250,000 dollar fine and three years of supervised release, a justice official told AFP. He is to be sentenced on June 16.
He was said to have provided export controlled microprocessors and electronic components to Indian state entities involved in developing ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles, and fighter jets.
Among the recipients were the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), an enterprise within the Indian Department of Space; and Bharat Dynamics, Ltd. (BDL), an Indian Defense Ministry enterprise.
Both are on the US Department of Commerce’s so-called Entity List. Exports of US-origin commodities to these entities are restricted and require prior authorization in the form of a license from the department.
Sudarshan entered his guilty plea Thursday in a district court in Washington.
“The defendant participated in a clandestine network that circumvented our export laws and put sophisticated technology in the hands of foreign companies that were listed as end-users of concern for proliferation reasons,” US Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said.
“With this prosecution, the defendant will no longer be able to make a profit at the expense of our national security,” he said.
Between 2002 and 2006, Sudarshan acquired electrical components with applications in missile guidance and firing systems in the United States for VSSC and BDL.
** There were no export licenses for any of the shipments to VSSC and BDL.**
Sudarshan routed the products through his company’s Singapore office and then sent the packages on to India to conceal that goods were going to entities on the Entity List, officials said.
In addition to supplying VSSC and BDL with components, Sudarshan acquired microprocessors for the Tejas, a fighter jet under development in India.
** The microprocessors were necessary for the navigation and weapons systems of the Tejas.**
Re: Indian American punished for illegal weapons export to India
Burqa and company are so old world going the way of the dinosaurs.
The new global technology world works differently. India will buy stuff from LMT and TCS will do tech work for Boeing and LMT and airbus etc.
Charges of Smuggling weapons tech etc is just a way to punish somebody who didn't quite live up to some deal and irrelevant in the real scheme of things.
Re: Indian American punished for illegal weapons export to India
^ or worse. In fact i don't think money ever even figures in these things. When you chain a 5 6 or even 7 way deals (with as many countries sometimes!) a certain type honesty is required. The exchanges occur fast but the deal spans decades. Leaks have to punished to protect all the other deals! nO 'ROCKET SCIENCE' here.
Re: Indian American punished for illegal weapons export to India
.......Smuggling weapons tech etc** is just a way to punish somebody who didn't quite live up to some deal **and irrelevant in the real scheme of things.
.....**When you chain a 5 6 or even 7 way deals (with as many countries sometimes!) a certain type honesty is required. **The exchanges occur fast but the deal spans decades. Leaks have to punished to protect all the other deals! nO 'ROCKET SCIENCE' here.
Stir mate! First you say that the Indian was punished because "He didn't quite live up to some deal".
Then you say "When you chain 7 way deals".
Why is it so hard to accept that it was pure and simple smuggling of sensitive technology. I mean the guy himself admitted in court, while you continue spreading misinformation.
Re: Indian American punished for illegal weapons export to India
StirCrasy, then can we easily brush aside the "proliferation" of nuclear material by AQ Khan using the same scenario? May be 6th or 7th party didn't get enough and the proliferation/smuggling ended up getting exposed and someone had to be punished?
Re: Indian American punished for illegal weapons export to India
Burqa and company are so old world going the way of the dinosaurs.
**
The new global technology world works differently. India will buy stuff from LMT and TCS will do tech work for Boeing and LMT and airbus etc.
**
Smuggling weapons tech etc is just a way to punish somebody who didn't quite live up to some deal and irrelevant in the real scheme of things.
I really do not understand how weapon smuggling would stop if TCS is working for Boeing etc.
Re: Indian American punished for illegal weapons export to India
Stir mate! First you say that the Indian was punished because "He didn't quite live up to some deal".
Then you say "When you chain 7 way deals".
Why is it so hard to accept that it was pure and simple smuggling of sensitive technology. I mean the guy himself admitted in court, while you continue spreading misinformation.
Oh, I notice the confusion - I left out the words "charges of smuggling". That is the punishment, not the act of smugglingitself. sorry
Re: Indian American punished for illegal weapons export to India
StirCrasy, then can we easily brush aside the "proliferation" of nuclear material by AQ Khan using the same scenario? May be 6th or 7th party didn't get enough and the proliferation/smuggling ended up getting exposed and someone had to be punished?
I don't know the specifics of A.Q.Khan's deals and we certainly cannot generalize since control regimes are completely different country to country. Also, in his case I think there are two different types that I have read of - 1) where he brought in technology from some scandinavian country he used to work in without their permission; that ofcourse is illegal 2) where he sold technology to other countries - this I have read two versions ie as a private citizen and as a rep of the government of Pakistan. On the second one, if he did that as a rep of Pakistan, I am not sure if it can be considered illegal