Valley News: Sentencing for Iranian Nuclear Case, Paris Hilton's Would-Be Burglar

Glendale

One of three men charged in a conspiracy to illegally ship specialized vacuum pump equipment with nuclear applications to Iran is scheduled to face a federal judge in Los Angeles today for sentencing.

Jirair Avanessian, 58, of Glendale pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to export the equipment in violation of the Iranian Transaction Regulations and other sanctions, court records show.

According to the indictment and the criminal complaint, Avanessian, owner and operator of a Glendale company called XVAC, corresponded with co-defendants Farhad Masoumian and Amirhossein Sairafi via e-mail for at least two years to arrange shipment of the equipment to Iran through a free trade zone in the United Arab Emirates.

The vacuum pumps and related devices at issue in the case can potentially be used in the enrichment of uranium for nuclear fuel, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Today's scheduled sentencing for Jirair Avanessian in Los Angeles federal court has been delayed until Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. 

Van Nuys

A Redlands man who tried to break into the Los Angeles home of socialite Paris Hilton last summer was sentenced today to two years in prison.

Nathan Lee Parada, 32, could have received up to three years for his attempt to get into Hilton's posh estate. Go to Sherman Oaks Patch for more details.

Woodland Hills

A man in his 70s found dead in his Woodland Hills backyard apparently committed suicide, police said today.

Officers went to the 5900 block of Fairhaven Avenue near Valerie Avenue about 8:25 p.m. Tuesday, said Sgt. Desi Ehrlich of the Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga Station.

Van Nuys

A Van Nuys metal plating company that does work for the aerospace industry was fined $100,000 for poor storage of toxic wastes and hazardous sludge, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

The violations at Crown Chrome Plating, a division of TMW Corp., were
found during an EPA inspection in April 2009, the agency said.

The City News Service contributed to this report.