Politics 12:11 21/12/2022 Region

Turkish national jailed for sending U.S. defense data to Turkey

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

I wrote an article in June 2021 about a Turkish man who was accused by the Justice Department of illegally sending U.S. Defense technical data to Turkey. Arif Ugur, 53, was sentenced last week to 33 months in jail, followed by two years of supervised release. He lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts intermittently since 2002 and became a Permanent Resident of the United States in 2005.

Ugur was arrested in 2021 and accused of: 1) Conspiring to export defense technical data from the United States to Turkey without an export license; 2) Exporting technical data from the United States to Turkey without an export license; and 3) Committing wire fraud by devising a scheme of fraudulently obtaining contracts from the Department of Defense (DOD).

In 2005, Ugur founded the Anatolia Group of Limited Partnership in Massachusetts which was described as a manufacturer and supplier of specialty machinery and parts to DOD. He was the sole owner of the company.

The United States government formally charged Ugur with scheming to acquire dozens of contracts to manufacture and supply the Department of Defense with various parts and hardware items used by the American military. The contracts required that the parts be manufactured in the United States. Ugur had falsely claimed that his company would manufacture these parts at his facilities in the United States, but it turned out that Anatolia was a front company with no manufacturing facilities in the United States. Instead, he had the parts manufactured in Turkey, violating U.S. laws. Furthermore, some of the parts manufactured overseas were substandard and could not be used for their intended military purposes.

Ugur had illegally provided the manufacturer in Turkey with technical specifications and drawings of the parts, which he obtained from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Several of the drawings and specifications required an export license which Ugur had not obtained, even though he had agreed in writing to comply with the strict legal requirements of not disclosing, sharing or providing foreign entities access to defense technical data. On August 13, 2015, after obtaining the technical specifications and drawings of the parts, Ugur notified three individuals in Turkey on how to access the DLA “Collaboration Folders” through the internet, including its library of “military critical technical data.”

Ugur told the U.S. government in 2016 that the parts were manufactured by Anatolia at 90 Woodmont Road in Milford, Connecticut, but in fact they were manufactured in Turkey. When the government asked to inspect the parts at his factory in the United States, Ugur delivered them to the Department of Defense (DOD) directly, thus avoiding inspection at his facility. Furthermore, the DOD found that the parts delivered by Ugur failed to meet contractual specifications. Therefore, DOD declined to pay him and attempted unsuccessfully to return the parts to him.

Ugur committed a similar violation in 2016, when he emailed U.S. technical data to an individual who was an employee of AYPIK in Turkey. Once again, the produced parts failed to meet the contractual specifications.

Following his arrest, Ugur was indicted on July 21, 2021 in Boston for illegally exporting defense technical data to foreign nationals in Turkey and fraudulently manufacturing various United States military parts, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.

On August 10, 2022, Ugur pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, two counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and one count of conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act.

Ugur “willfully defrauded the Department of Defense and gave access to controlled defense information to individuals in a foreign country [Turkey] for personal gain,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This type of brazen disregard for our export control laws threatens our military readiness and technological advantage and will not be tolerated by this department.”

On a lighter note, several newspapers and websites in Turkey reported the jailing of the Turkish national in the United States. But surprisingly, they published my photo, instead of Ugur’s, with their articles.

Upon further investigation, I discovered that after I wrote an article about Arif Ugur a year ago, the Noyan Tapan news agency in Armenia reprinted my article, adding my photo from its archives clearly showing Noyan Tapan’s name in English and Armenian. The photo was taken several years ago when I gave a press conference at the Noyan Tapan office during one of my visits to Armenia.

Most probably, when the U.S. Justice Department issued a press release announcing the conviction of Ugur by a federal court in the United States, the Turkish media wanted to publish his photo with the news article. Not knowing what Ugur looked like and finding on the internet my photo with my article about Ugur published by Noyan Tapan, the Turkish media assumed by mistake that it was Ugur’s photo. This is how my picture got printed in several Turkish newspapers.

I will not bother to contact the Turkish media to inform them that they had published my photo instead of Ugur’s and ask them to correct their mistake. I do not wish to waste my time as I don’t believe the Turkish media will even respond to my email.



Source Panorama.am
Share |

Related news

Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

16:04
Specialist names acute respiratory infections prevalent in Armenia
Armenia is currently experiencing moderate activity related to acute respiratory infections, according to Romella Abovyan, head of the...
15:30
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck finalize divorce
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are officially divorced, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. The judgment comes nearly 20 weeks...
15:00
ICRC staff visits Artsakh leaders illegally held in Baku
Employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Artsakh's military and political leaders illegally detained in...
14:32
Armenia marks Remembrance Day of the Dead
On January 7, Armenia commemorates Merelots, the Remembrance Day of the Dead, which traditionally follows major religious holidays. The...
14:07
Temperatures to hit 17C in Armenia's Syunik
Dry weather is expected across Armenia’s regions throughout this week. Drivers are warned to watch out for black ice on some...
13:36
Armenian expert warns of rising tensions over 'Zangezur Corridor' in 2025
Turkologist Varuzhan Geghamyan has reacted to Azerbaijan’s false reports about the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” through...
13:06
Heavy snow leaves 10 cars stranded in Armenia
On January 6-7, the crisis management centers of Vayots Dzor, Aragatsotn, Kotayk and Lori Provinces received reports of vehicles trapped on...
12:30
At least 53 killed as powerful earthquake hits Tibet
A strong earthquake killed at least 53 people in Tibet on Tuesday and left many others trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the high-altitude...
12:14
Pashinyan names pick for new Penitentiary Service head
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has named Tsovinar Tadevosyan as his pick for new head of the Penitentiary Service at the Armenian...
11:44
Armenian MP warns of 'turbulent developments reshaping the geopolitical landscape'
Armenian opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has warned of new “turbulent developments” that could significantly change the geopolitical...
11:15
Stepantsminda-Larsi road closed to trucks
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about a road closure in Armenia as of Tuesday morning. In particular, the road...
11:00
Canadan PM Justin Trudeau resigns
Under growing pressure from his own party, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he will step down and end his nine-year stretch...
17:00
Baku to start sham trial of Artsakh leaders on January 17
The sham trial of former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan and State Minister Ruben Vardanyan is set to commence in Baku on January 17,...
16:30
Russia ‘guilty’ over downing of Azerbaijani plane, Aliyev says
Azerbaijan's president said on Monday that Russia was "guilty" over the downing of an airline last month that Baku says was shot...
16:03
13 injured in major car crash in Armenia
A single-vehicle crash in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province has left 13 people injured. The accident involving a Gazel minibus occurred on...
15:33
EU Delegation extends Christmas greetings to Armenians
The EU Delegation in Armenia has extended Christmas greetings to the Armenian people. “The EU Delegation in Armenia wishes everyone a...
15:15
Pope Francis calls out nuns with 'vinegar faces'
Pope Francis has called out nuns with 'vinegar faces' and told them to avoid gossip in a bizarre tirade, the Daily Mail reports....
15:00
Temperatures set to plunge across Armenia
Dry weather is expected across Armenia’s regions throughout this week. Drivers are warned to watch out for black ice on the roads...
14:36
Snow strands 8 cars in Armenia
On January 5-6, the crisis management centers of Vayots Dzor, Aragatsotn, Ararat and Shirak Provinces received reports of vehicles trapped...
14:14
French envoy: Nagorno-Karabakh refugees celebrating another Christmas away from home
French Ambassador to Armenia Olivier Decottignies has sent Christmas greetings to the Armenian people. In a social media post, the...
13:45
Death toll from German Christmas market attack rises to 6
A 52-year-old woman has died in hospital from injuries sustained after a man drove his car into a German Christmas market last month, a...
13:34
Armenia rejects Azerbaijan's false claims of border shooting
The Armenian Defense Ministry has dismissed Azerbaijan's allegations of border shooting as disinformation. "The statement...
13:00
Armenian church leader issues Christmas message
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, issued a message on the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord...
12:35
Greece detains Aliyev's cousin for drug trafficking
Greek judicial authorities announced on Friday that they have temporarily detained Izzat Khanim Javadova, who has performed as a DJ in dance...
12:05
Armenian defense minister's wife shares New Year family photos
Armine Muradyan, the wife of Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, has posted a series of New Year family photos on social media....
11:33
Armenian church celebrates Christmas
The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas) on January 6. The...
11:21
Snow hits parts of Armenia
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about a road closure in Armenia on Monday morning. In particular, the road linking the Amberd high...
17:15
Ex-deputy chief of Armenian army denies negligence charges
Lieutenant General Tiran Khachatryan, a national hero of Armenia, denies the charges of negligence during the 2020 Artsakh war, his lawyers...
16:30
Armenia among Russia's top 10 trade partners
The Federal Customs Service (FCS) has revealed Russia's top trade partners from January to October 2024, RBC...
16:15
World's oldest person dies at 116
Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old Japanese woman recognized as the world's oldest person, has died of old age, Kyodo News reported on Saturday,...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}