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ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION FOR JULY 25, 2014
Epsilon Electronics Inc. Assessed a Penalty for Violating the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. Epsilon Electronics Inc. ("Epsilon"), Montebello, California, also doing business as Power Acoustik Electronics, Sound Stream, Kole Audio, and Precision Audio, has been assessed a penalty of $4,073,000 for violations of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (the "ITSR"), 31 C.F.R. part 560. From on or about August 26, 2008, to on or about May 22, 2012, Epsilon violated § 560.204 of the ITSR when it issued 39 invoices for car audio and video equipment, valued at $3,407,491, which was shipped to a company that reexports most, if not all, of its products to Iran and has offices in Tehran, Iran, and Dubai, the U.A.E. Epsilon knew or had reason to know that such goods were intended specifically for supply, transshipment, or reexportation, directly or indirectly to Iran....
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1) This is one of only two enforcement actions (issued from 2006 through 12/2020) to be challenged in court. See also Civil Enforcement Information - ExxonMobil Corporation. The challenge resulted in Epsilon Electronics, Inc. v. U.S. Dep't of the Treasury, 857 F.3d 913 (D.C. Cir. 2017).
2) The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that:
i) a product need not actually arrive in Iran in order for an exporter otherwise knowing or having reason to know of its ultimate destination to violate 560.204.
ii) Penalty partially reversed, however, because for some shipments OFAC was found to have not adequately explained why it found Epsilon to have known or had a reason to know of the likelihood of transshipment to Iran. In particular, there was evidence suggesting that the...