Pakistani nationals plead guilty to money laundering in ICE export probe

Bridgeport, CT – Two Pakistani national pleaded guilty Monday to federal money laundering charges following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Haven, Connecticut, and other federal law enforcement agencies.

Muhammad Ismail, 67, of Meriden, Connecticut and Kamran Khan, 38, of Hamden, Connecticut, Pakistan nationals with lawful permanent U.S. residence status, pleaded guilty Monday in Bridgeport, Connecticut federal court to money laundering in connection with funds they received for the unlawful export of goods to Pakistan; a third defendant, Imran Khan, 43, of North Haven.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from at least 2012 to December 2016, Ismail, and his two sons, Kamran and Imran Khan, were engaged in a scheme to purchase goods that were controlled under the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) and to export those goods without a license to Pakistan, in violation of the EAR. Through companies conducting business as Brush Locker Tools, Kauser Enterprises-USA and Kauser Enterprises-Pakistan, the three defendants received orders from a Pakistani company that procured materials and equipment for the Pakistani military, requesting them to procure specific products that were subject to the EAR. When U.S. manufacturers asked about the end-user for a product, the defendants either informed the manufacturer that the product would remain in the U.S. or completed an end-user certification indicating that the product would not be exported.

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