SCRANTON, Pa. (CN) - A 72-year-old Pennsylvania man is among three people charged with conspiring to export lab equipment to Syria in violation of federal law.
Harold Rinko, of Hallstead, Pa., was indicted with Moawea Deri, 36, of Syria, and Ahmad Feras Diri, 39, of London, the Justice Department said in a statement.
They are charged with criminal conspiracy, wire fraud, illegal export of goods, money laundering and false statements.
The United States, through federal legislation, is trying "to shut down the supply chain used by the Syrian state to support terrorism and to develop and proliferate weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons," the Justice Department said in the statement.
The defendants are accused of conspiring to export laboratory equipment illegally, without a permit, including equipment used to detect chemical warfare agents.
A federal grand jury returned the sealed indictment on Nov. 20, 2012; it was unsealed Wednesday.
Diri was arrested in London a year ago and is facing extradition to the United States.
Rinko has waived arraignment. Deri is a fugitive.
Read the Top 8
Sign up for the Top 8, a roundup of the day's top stories delivered directly to your inbox Monday through Friday.
Additional Reads
-
Uneasy calm grips Ukraine as West prepares winter aid November 29, 2022 -
2 men get 40 years each for Malta reporter's car-bomb murder October 14, 2022
-
Madeleine Albright, 1st female US secretary of state, dies March 23, 2022 -
Russia ramps up invasion of Ukraine, closing in on Kyiv March 11, 2022