Physicist Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Export Defense Information

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15227785.post-68435634751252940502008-04-15T22:15:00.002-05:002008-04-15T22:25:42.464-05:00Physicist Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Export Defense InformationOn April 15, 2008, federal authorities announced that Daniel Max Sherman pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. Section 2778), in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.<a href="#_ftn1c" name="_ftnref1c">[1]</a> Sherman, a former resident of Knoxville, now lives in Littleton, Colorado. He is a physicist who formerly worked at Atmospheric Glow Technologies, Incorporated, a technology company based out of Knoxville.<a href="#_ftn2c" name="_ftnref2c">[2]</a> According to the plea agreement, Sherman, J. Reece Roth, served as a Professor Emeritus at The University of Tennessee, and work at Atmospheric Glow Technologies, Inc., between January 2004 and May 2006.<a href="#_ftn3c" name="_ftnref3c">[3]</a> During this time he engaged in a conspiracy to pass on export controlled technical data to a foreign national from China. This information pertained to a restricted United States Air Force contract to develop plasma actuators for a munitions-type Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or “drones.” The Chinese national was a graduate level research assistant at the University of Tennessee.<a href="#_ftn4c" name="_ftnref4c">[4]</a> United States Attorney James R. Dedrick has noted that the violations charged here carry a maximum possible penalty of five years imprisonment and a $250,000.00 fine.<a href="#_ftn5c" name="_ftnref5c">[5]</a> According to Dedrick, “A top priority of the Department of Justice and this District is protect our national security and to protect our technology from disclosure to foreign governments.”<a href="#_ftn6c" name="_ftnref6c">[6]</a> Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security added that, “knowingly disclosing restricted U.S. military data to foreign nationals represents a very real threat to our national security, particularly when we know that foreign governments are actively seeking this information for their military development.”<a href="#_ftn7c" name="_ftnref7c">[7]</a> The investigation that led to the arrests in this case was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement.<a href="#_ftn8c" name="_ftnref8c">[8]</a> Normally, consipracy to export defense articles is punishable under section 127.1 of the International Trafficking of Arms Regulations codified at 22 U.S.C. § 2778. Under this section it is unlawful for anyone to conspire to export, import, reexport or cause to be exported, imported or reexported, any defense article or to furnish any defense service for which a license or written approval is required by this subchapter without first obtaining the required license or written approval from the Office of Defense Trade Controls.<a href="#_ftn9c" name="_ftnref9c">[9]</a> Violation of this section is punishable by a fine for each violation not more than $1,000,000 or imprisonment not more than ten years, or both.<a href="#_ftn10c" name="_ftnref10c">[10]</a> However, here Sherman was charged with violation of <a href="http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000371----000-.html" target="_blank">18 U.S.C. § 371</a>. Under <a href="http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000371----000-.html" target="_blank">18 U.S.C. § 371</a>, it is a crime for a person to conspire with at least one other person to commit an offense against the United States, and then do an overt act in furtherance of that conspiracy. The punishment for a violation of section 371 is a fine, imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.<a href="#_ftn11c" name="_ftnref11c">[11]</a> Federal criminal defense attorney, Douglas McNabb has written extensively on the subject of conspiracy. His work in that area can be seen <a href="http://www.federalcrimes.com/conspiracy.htm" target=”_blank”>here</a>. <hr align="left" width=33%> <a href="#_ftnref1c" name="_ftn1c">[1]</a> Press Release, United States Department of Justice, Physicist Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Arms Export Control Act (April 15, 2008) (available at <a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/April/08_nsd_299.html" target=”_blank”> http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/April/08_nsd_299.html</a>). <a href="#_ftnref2c" name="_ftn2c">[2]</a> Id. <a href="#_ftnref3c" name="_ftn3c">[3]</a> Id. <a href="#_ftnref4c" name="_ftn4c">[4]</a> Id. <a href="#_ftnref5c" name="_ftn5c">[5]</a> Id. <a href="#_ftnref6c" name="_ftn6c">[6]</a> Id. <a href="#_ftnref7c" name="_ftn7c">[7]</a> Id. <a href="#_ftnref8c" name="_ftn8c">[8]</a> Id. <a href="#_ftnref9c" name="_ftn9c">[9]</a> 22 C.F.R. §127.1. <a href="#_ftnref10c" name="_ftn10c">[10]</a> <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode22/usc_sec_22_00002778----000-.html" target="_blank">22 U.S.C. § 2778(c)</a>. <a href="#_ftnref11c" name="_ftn11c">[11]</a> 18 U.S.C. § 371.McNabb Associates, P.C.noreply@blogger.com