Waltham Couple Indicted For Illegal Exporting, Dealings With IEDs

WALTHAM, MA – A Waltham couple and one other were indicted in connection with scheme to smuggle goods to Syria and also conducted business with a company involved in developing or acquiring the type of improvised explosive devices used against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the DA announced today.

Anni Beurklian, 49, who also went by the last name Ajaka, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon lived in Waltham with her husband, a lawful permanent resident from Lebanon named Antoine Ajaka, who went by the name Tony, 50. They worked with Amir Katranji, 52, a Syrian national who went by several variations of his name including Amir Hachem Alkatranji or Amir Katra and together ran Top Tech US Inc., a U.S. company, out of the couple's residence in Waltham.

The three and the company were indicted on conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws and regulations, conspiracy to defraud the United States, smuggling U.S. goods out of the United States, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice.

Beurklian, Ajaka, and Top Tech US Inc. are also charged with mail fraud and illegally providing services to people located in Syria. Beurklian and Ajaka previously fled the U.S. and have not returned

From around 2012 until January 2018, Beurklian and her husband operated an export business out of their home and used their business to procure goods, including electronics, computer equipment, and electrical switches, from U.S. companies and export those goods out of the United States to customers in Lebanon and Syria, according to the charges.

One of their customers was Amir Katranji, a citizen of Syria who operates and manages EKT Electronics, a company headquartered in Syria.

In 2007, EKT and its founder, Mohammad Katranji, Amir Katranji’s father, were added to the Department of Commerce’s Entity List because the U.S. Government had determined that EKT and Mohammad Katranji were involved in activities related to the acquisition, attempted acquisition, and/or development of improvised explosive devices, which were being used against U.S. and Coalition troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Since 2007, no U.S. person has been permitted to export U.S. goods to EKT without first obtaining an export license from the Department of Commerce. As alleged in the indictment, no one has sought or obtained an export license to export any U.S. goods to EKT or Mohammad Katranji.

The indictment also alleges that sometime in 2013, Ajaka and Beurklian began doing business with Katranji and supplying U.S. origin goods to EKT using Top Tech US. Ajaka and Beurklian knew that Katranji operated a business in Syria and that they were providing brokering services to Katranji and his Syrian company, EKT, by buying and shipping U.S. origin goods to EKT and its customers. EKT paid Ajaka and Beurklian more than $200,000 through Top Tech US bank accounts for their services. To conceal their illegal activity with EKT and evade the mandatory export filing requirement, Ajaka and Beurklian, with the knowledge and agreement of Katranji, falsified shipping paperwork and undervalued goods being shipped overseas directly to, or on behalf of, EKT.

The indictment also alleges that, sometime around 2016, after U.S. officials began detaining international shipments made by Top Tech US before they had left the country, Beurklian, Ajaka, and Katranji conspired to obstruct justice and obstructed justice by manipulating, deleting, and falsifying records regarding shipments of U.S. goods overseas.

As if that wasn't enough in January, after participating in plea negotiations with the U.S. Government, Beurklian and Ajaka fled the United States to avoid prosecution. They're still on the run.

The charge of conspiring to violate U.S. export laws can land someone in prison for up to 20 years, three years of supervised release and a fine of $1 million. The charges of conspiring to defraud the U.S. and conspiring to obstruct justice each could land someone in jail for five years, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of smuggling U.S. goods out of the U.S. provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charges of illegally providing services to persons located in Syria and mail fraud mean as many as 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release. The fine for violating U.S. Syrian sanctions is $1 million, and the fine for mail fraud is $250,000.

The corporate defendant, Top Tech US, faces up to a $500,000 fine if convicted of smuggling goods from the United States, obstructing justice, conspiring to defraud the United States, and mail fraud; and up to a $1 million fine if convicted of conspiring to violate U.S. export laws and violating the U.S. Syrian Sanctions Regulations.

The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.