On February 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Alabama resident Ray Hunt was sentenced to five years in prison for violating U.S. trade sanctions, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. According to the DOJ, Hunt pleaded guilty in 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States for his role in the export of U.S.-origin industrial equipment to two Iranian companies in Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemical industries.
According to court documents, Hunt illegally exported equipment to Iran from at least 2015 until his arrest in November 2022. He allegedly led suppliers and shippers to believe that the exports were intended for end-users in Turkey and United Arab Emirates (“UAE”). According to federal prosecutors, Hunt also used various methods to conceal the illegal exports from U.S. authorities, including the use of third-party transshipment companies based in Turkey and UAE to transport the equipment and routing payments related to the exports through UAE banks.
In addition to five years in prison, Hunt was sentenced to 3 years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $62,594.94 in criminal proceeds.