Convicted in U.S. of violating Iran sanctions, brothers adopt new identities in Ontario

Brothers convicted successful the United States of helping Iran evade sanctions were allowed to legally follow caller identities successful Ontario, records released to Global News show.

Amin and Arash Yousefijam were sentenced successful Michigan successful the autumn of 2021 for utilizing ammunition companies to illegally export delicate manufacturing instrumentality to Iran, wherever they were born.

They past returned to Ontario, wherever they had lived anterior to their arrests, and applied to alteration their names to Ameen and Aurash Cohen. The state granted their requests successful April 2022.

At the clip they altered their identities, they were inactive serving retired portion of their sentences — a one-year play of supervised release, a signifier of parole, authorities records show.

Using his caller name, Arash Yousefijam, 36, became a registered dentist and went to enactment successful Ottawa arsenic Dr. Aurash Cohen. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario declined to reply questions astir him.

Meanwhile, his brother, 37, took a occupation arsenic a compliance serviceman astatine an planetary institution successful Richmond Hill, Ont. Property records amusement an Ameen Cohen bought a location successful the metropolis successful 2022.

The state issued Amin Yousefijam’s sanction alteration certificate though helium was not a Canadian national and the Canada Border Services Agency was successful the process of deporting him for dodging sanctions connected Iran.

The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, which oversees sanction changes, has not yet responded to questions astir the matter.

Under Ontario law, those applying to alteration their names indispensable supply details of their transgression convictions, and cannot question caller identities for an “improper purpose.”

Despite his caller moniker, Amin Yousefijam did not elude the CBSA, which has present sent his lawsuit to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a deportation order.

Hearings to determine whether helium should beryllium deported are to statesman connected Oct. 28. His lawyers tried to prohibition the property from the proceedings, but Global News fought the exertion and won.

His lawyers declined to comment. Citing privacy, the CBSA would besides not comment, but the brothers’ sanction alteration certificates were publically released by the IRB astatine his deportation case.

As a naturalized Canadian citizen, his member Arash cannot beryllium deported. Reached by Global News, Arash said the duo legally changed their names due to the fact that “we privation to commencement a caller life.”

“It’s conscionable immoderate ineligible issues that I had and they got resolved and I’m back,” helium said. “As acold arsenic I’m concerned, I’m a Canadian citizen, I paid my dues, I conscionable got clip served, I returned to Canada.”

He said it was not close that migration authorities were trying to deport his member erstwhile some were convicted. “It is decidedly not just due to the fact that I’m not having immoderate consequences but helium is.”

Exhibits filed by the CBSA successful the deportation lawsuit amusement migration enforcement officials are alleging that Amin Yousefijam undermined Canada’s efforts to incorporate the menace posed by the Iranian regime.

A banking manufacture seasoned with an MBA degree, helium contributed to “an accrued information menace towards Canada successful regards to coercion and onslaught by atomic weapons,” CBSA wrote successful its report.

“Mr. Yousefijam’s activities straight compromised the efforts of the Canadian authorities with respect to its overseas argumentation goals vis-a-vis Iran.”

With Iran and Israel edging toward war, the lawsuit is simply a test of how Canada responds to a overseas national connected its ungraded who violated the sanctions meant to support the Islamic Republic successful check.

Canadian migration authorities are presently attempting to deport much than a twelve alleged elder members of the Iranian regime caught surviving successful the country.

But the Yousefijam lawsuit is different: it is astir the enforcement of the sanctions that person go Canada’s superior instrumentality against Iran’s effort to dispersed instability successful the Middle East.

Iran’s “axis of resistance” includes panic groups Hamas, which carried retired the Oct. 7 attack, the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthis, who person disrupted planetary shipping.

To physique its subject spot and atomic programs, Iran has relied connected an planetary proviso web that circumvents the sanctions meant to trim its menace to the region.

A CBSA study filed successful enactment of Yousefijam’s deportation said Canada was among the countries Iran was utilizing to get dual-use technologies with subject applications.

Canada is an charismatic determination for Iran to bash truthful due to the fact that of its proximity to the U.S. and “established commercialized agreements facilitating the question of goods,” it said.

“In this respect, Canada is simply a strategical state for Iranian beforehand and ammunition companies to found themselves,” the CBSA wrote successful its lawsuit against Yousefijam.

Prof. Jessica Davis, an adept connected nationalist information and illicit financing, said sanctions were successful spot to make a safer planetary fiscal strategy and trim threats to Canada and its allies.

“So anyone progressive successful undermining those processes is, by extension, undermining planetary information and Canadian security,” said Davis, president of Insight Threat Intelligence.

The erstwhile Canadian Security Intelligence Service expert said it was “very common” for the U.S. to prosecute specified cases due to the fact that it acts arsenic an enforcer of fiscal regulations astir the world.

“Canada hasn’t historically had a bully way grounds successful presumption of detecting and disrupting sanctions evasion activity,” she said.

“This has been thing of an underfunded and understaffed relation wrong a fig of antithetic organizations.”

She said she was struck that, pursuing his conviction, Yousefijam continued to enactment arsenic a compliance officer, a occupation that involves detecting and reporting suspicious enactment specified arsenic sanctions evasion.

“To person idiosyncratic employed successful that capableness who has a transgression condemnation for sanctions evasion, I deliberation raises a batch of questions.”

Yousefijam argued successful his written effect to the allegations that his engagement successful the strategy was minimal and that he did not represent a information threat.

He said helium had worked for several banks, including RBC, hoped to go a vice-president successful the banking industry, and had applied to dental school.

Deporting him would beryllium “unjust” and “devastating” to his vocation and idiosyncratic life, helium said, explaining helium had met “the emotion of my life.”

“I humbly inquire for your compassion and for the accidental to proceed to lend to Canadian society,” helium wrote.

Beginning successful 2015, Amin Yousefijam, Arash and a 3rd conspirator successful Iran, Abdollah Momeni Roustani, utilized a ammunition company, Austin General Trading, to tally what is known arsenic a “cross-stuffing” scheme.

They approached U.S. manufacturers to acquisition and export materials restricted by sanctions enactment successful spot successful effect to Iran’s atomic and weapons programs, relation successful coercion and quality rights abuses.

To fell that Iran was the existent destination of the exports, they made the purchases with accounts astatine banks located successful overseas countries, Yousefijam admitted successful his plea agreement.

The shipments were transported to the United Arab Emirates, wherever they were taken retired of their containers and illicitly re-shipped to Iran. The ploy is besides known arsenic transshipping.

Yousefijam played a “significant role” successful the plot, which continued aft helium arrived successful Canada 8 years ago, according to the CBSA allegations.

He was “primarily liable for negotiating and arranging the shipping logistics,” portion his member handled terms negotiations, the CBSA wrote successful its report.

“Money laundering was different method allegedly utilized by the co-conspirators to dodge U.S. sanctions against Iran,” the bureau wrote.

Canadian officials noted that some brothers had worked arsenic money-laundering investigators and that Yousefijam was a slope compliance officer.

“Thus the usage of wealth laundering by the co-conspirators adds to the information posed to the information of Canada,” the bureau wrote.

The U.S. filed a sealed indictment against the Yousefijams successful April 2020. Eight months later, Arash took a formation from Toronto to North Carolina, wherever helium was arrested.

Acting connected a U.S. extradition request, the Toronto Police Fugitive Squad arrested Amin Yousefijam connected Jan. 21, 2021.

Both brothers pleaded blameworthy to what the U.S. called “deeply disturbing” allegations. Prosecutors asked for a “significant condemnation of imprisonment” for Yousefijam.

“The defendant’s knowing and intentional behaviour present undermined the U.S. sanctions authorities and threatened the information of the United States by supporting a authorities sponsor of terrorism,” they argued.

Both were sentenced to clip served, positive a twelvemonth of supervised released. U.S. migration authorities past removed them backmost to Canada.

After they changed their names, Yousefijam wrote to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada asking for a caller imperishable resident’s paper arsenic Ameen Cohen, records show.

“I americium excited astir the imaginable of afloat integrating into Canadian nine and making a affirmative publication to this large country,” helium wrote.

But a CBSA probe recommended deporting him, and noted helium was surviving successful Canada erstwhile helium organized 1 of the illicit shipments to Iran.

He “actively participated successful a conspiracy utilizing a clandestine procurement and shipping network, whose intent was to circumvent U.S. sanctions to the payment of Iran,” the bureau wrote.

“The intent of these sanctions is based connected nationalist information goals, including being a effect to state-sponsored coercion and quality rights abuses, and astir notably, to restrict the quality of Iran to make atomic weapons,” the CBSA wrote.

In written responses helium sent to the CBSA, Yousefijam described his relation successful the illicit exports arsenic “minimal” and said helium had learned from the experience.

“I lone forwarded a fewer emails astatine the petition of my brother,” helium wrote successful his submissions to migration enforcement authorities.

He said helium had nary volition of undermining Canadian information and had withdrawn from the strategy voluntarily and cooperated with U.S. authorities.

“As a imperishable nonmigratory of Canada, I consciousness profoundly remorseful for my engagement successful the strategy that led to my condemnation successful the United States,” helium wrote.

He said helium had sought counseling and therapy “to assistance maine recognize and code the underlying issues that contributed to my engagement successful this scheme.”

“Since returning to Canada successful November 2021, I person secured a respectable occupation and person afloat integrated into society,” helium wrote.

He said helium had been gathering a vocation successful the banking manufacture and had applied to dental schools successful Toronto, London and Montreal.

“I person demonstrated that I americium committed to surviving a liable and productive beingness and contributing positively to society.”

During the pandemic, helium was surviving with his fiancé and “cannot representation my aboriginal without her,” helium wrote. If helium was deported, “the slump I would acquisition would beryllium deadly.”

He besides felt it would beryllium unfair to deport him portion his member “faces nary consequences” from Canadian migration due to the fact that helium is simply a citizen.

But the CBSA was not moved by his statement.

“The seriousness of the allegations against him and the interests of the Canadian nationalist acold outweigh the imaginable difficulties which whitethorn originate should the taxable beryllium removed from Canada,” the bureau wrote.

On Sept. 10, Yousefijam sat successful a proceeding country astatine the Immigration and Refugee Board offices successful Toronto’s Rexdale neighbourhood.

The IRB imposed a work prohibition connected immoderate details astir his brother. The lawsuit volition determine whether a deportation bid should beryllium issued.

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