Broomall man sentenced for illegal Iran trades

An Iranian businessman was sentenced Friday to 33 months in prison for conducting illegal transactions with Iran between 2002 and 2005.

Mohammad Reza Vaghari, 43, lived in Broomall when he exported banned goods to Iran that could be used for military purposes. Along with sophisticated lab equipment, laptops and fuel cells, Vaghari also shipped less menacing goods, namely "male enhancement" tablets, prosecutors said.

Vaghari and a partner, Mir Hossein Ghaemi, who pleaded guilty last year, operated Saamen Co. L.L.C. in Newtown Square. The company exported the equipment to Dubai, where coconspirators shipped it on to Iran. Vaghari received emails from Iran thanking him for the shipping items and asking him to seek additional equipment, prosecutors said. Vaghari also made false statements while trying to obtain U.S. citizenship in November 2004.

Vaghari, who had been eligible for a 78 to 97 month prison sentence, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Jan E. Duboise to serve three years of supervised release and pay a $400 special assessment.