A Silver Spring man was sentenced to three years and one month in prison for illegally exporting nuclear materials to Pakistan.
Federal prosecutors said 46-year-old Nadeem Akhtar committed export violations and tried to defraud the United States by sending the nuclear-related items overseas.
Federal authorities require a license to export certain items because they can be used in nuclear reactors and producing or processing nuclear material. Akhtar sent such items to Pakistan even though he didn’t have a license to do so and tried to cover-up his offenses through false invoices and purchase orders, court records say.
Akhtar, a Pakistani national and legal permanent U.S. resident, admitted that he used his business called Computer Communication USA to obtain radiation detection devices, resins for coolant water purification, calibration and switching equipment and surface refinishing abrasives, which are all used in nuclear explosives and reactors. He also exported electrical valves and cranes to Pakistan.
The illegally exported equipment totaled about $400,000, prosecutors said.
“The fast-paced nature of this changing world has created new challenges in preventing nuclear technology from falling into the hands of those who are hostile to U.S. interests,” FBI special agent Richard McFeely said in a statement. “Nowhere in the national security arena is the FBI’s alliance with private industry as important in preserving the security of this country.”
