United States v. Mousavi

604 F.3d 1084, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 9213, 2010 WL 1780871
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit·Decided May 5, 2010·No. 08-50454·Published·Cited by 9 cases

Opinion

IKUTA, Circuit Judge.

Seyed Mahmood Mousavi appeals from his federal criminal convictions for, among other things, willfully providing services to Iran in violation of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and the Iranian Transaction Regulations (ITR), 31 C.F.R. § 560.206, commonly referred to as the *1087 United States’ trade embargo against Iran. Mousavi argues that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to allow any rational juror to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty of willfully violating the ITR. We conclude, viewing the evidence presented at trial in the light most favorable to the government, that evidence sufficiently supports Mousavi’s conviction under 50 U.S.C. § 1705 and 31 C.F.R. § 560.206. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). 1

I

Mousavi immigrated to the United States from Iran in the late 1980s, becoming a legal permanent resident in 1991 and a naturalized citizen in 1999. At times relevant to this appeal, Mousavi and his wife owned Mousavi Digital Services, doing business as Global Digital Services, a partnership that installed television satellite systems. At the same time, Mousavi was president of the Hejrat Educational Center, a non-profit organization that provided services to the Islamic community, and also ran a business that organized travel packages to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage by obtaining necessary visas and arranging flights, hotels, and meals.

In January 2006, agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) discovered evidence of concealed income on Mousavi’s 2002 personal and business tax returns. In the resulting investigation, agents found evidence that some of Mousavi’s undisclosed income was from a Kuwaiti company, Al Mai Kuwaiti Company (Al Mai), which had entered into an agreement with Mousavi to provide consulting services related to business ventures in Iran. Based on this evidence, a grand jury returned an indictment against Mousavi in March 2008, charging him with, among other things, conducting unlawful dealings with Iran in violation of IEEPA and the ITR. 50 U.S.C. § 1705; 31 C.F.R. § 560.206. A jury trial commenced in district court in April 2008.

At trial, the government presented evidence showing that Mousavi contracted with Al Mai to provide consulting services directed at establishing business ventures in Iran. To that end, the government produced a document entitled “Agreement,” signed by Mousavi and Mohammad A1 Sager, Chairman and Managing Director of Al Mai, dated June 11, 2002, and two attached documents: one entitled “Incentive Plan,” also dated June 11, 2002; and the other a letter from Al Mai’s Assistant General Manager to Akbar Torkan, Chairman and Managing Director of Petroparts, Ltd. in Tehran, Iran, dated August 25, 2002.

The Agreement provides, in relevant part: 2

The two parties agreed on the following:

1. Al Mai will hire Mr. Mousavi (consultant) to help Al Mai in its endeavor to do the following:
a) To bid for GSM license jointly with Iran Electronic Development Company-
*1088 b) To help establishing a bank and leasing Co. with Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO).
2. The consultants responsibilities will be to follow up with the authorities and concern parties all required steps to help establish and accomplish our planed co-joint projects.
4. Al Mai will hire the consultant for a period of six months for a remuneration of US$ 50,000 (U.S. $ fifty thousand only) to be paid 50% in advance and 15% after reaching a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with each party with the last project getting an extra 5% (total 100%).
5. Al Mai will appoint Mr. Mousavi in one of company established jointly by the Iranian Partners.
7. An incentive plan will be drafted and agreed upon separately in case that Mr. Mousavi accomplished any of the above joint companies.

The attached Incentive Plan provides for additional commissions to be paid in the event of success in several projects. For example, Section B(l) of the Incentive Plan provides: “Gravell Project: Al Mai will pay Mr. Mousavi after successfully completing the purchase of ship and establishing the company jointly with the Iranian partner US$ 50,000.” Section 3 states: “Also, Mr. Mousavi will be exclusive to A1 Mai on Iran and will not approach other parties for these projects.”

The attached letter from Al Mai to Petroparts references a meeting in Tehran regarding Al Mai’s interest in investing in the Iranian market, and notes Al Mai’s particular interest in “exploring further the feasibility of a project for commissioning a gas pipeline from the Republic of Iran (say, from Kharg Island) to Kuwait.” In the letter, Al Mai nominates “Mr. Mahmoud Al Mousawi as our liaison for this project.”

In addition to the Agreement, Incentive Plan, and letter, the government introduced evidence showing a course of dealings between Mousavi and Al Mal. The documents introduced at trial included Mousavi’s Iranian and United States passports with stamps indicating travel to Kuwait and Iran in late April and early June 2002, as well as a boarding pass from Iran Air dated April 22, 2002, found in the same file as the Agreement. The government introduced bank statements showing wire transfers from Al Mai into Mousavi’s personal account during the same time period. The statements showed transfers of $6,170 on April 17, $8,870 on June 6, and $30,000 on June 13, 2002, for a total of $45,040. Mousavi’s 2002 personal tax return, also introduced by the government, did not report any income from Al Mai. Instead, it indicated a total income of only $11,152, all from Mousavi Digital Services.

Finally, the government presented evidence to demonstrate that Mousavi was a sophisticated businessman, whose ties to Iran and organization of travel in the area would have made him familiar with the United States’ restrictions on trade with that country. This evidence included Mousavi’s naturalization application and resume, indicating that Mousavi grew up in Iran and was engaged in business there during the period following the embargo. Mousavi had high-level contacts in Iran and continued to travel to Iran regularly after moving to the United States.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

United States v. Mousavi, 604 F.3d 1084, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 9213, 2010 WL 1780871 (9th Cir. 2010).

604 F.3d 1084 (United States v. Mousavi) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

United States v. Sihai Cheng
392 F. Supp. 3d 141 (District of Columbia, 2019)
WildEarth Guardians v. U.S. Dep't of Justice
283 F. Supp. 3d 783 (D. Arizona, 2017)
United States v. Roosevelt Anderson, Jr.
741 F.3d 938 (Ninth Circuit, 2013)
United States v. Meredith
685 F.3d 814 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Ethan Berry
683 F.3d 1015 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Amirhossein Sairafi
472 F. App'x 821 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Ronald Bradshaw
433 F. App'x 618 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)