Reuters: U.S.: British millionaire pleads guilty in Iran missile scheme

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British millionaire pleads guilty in Iran missile scheme Nov 1st 2012, 21:05 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Massachusetts man sentenced to 17 years after FBI terrorism sting 1:52pm EDT REFILE-UPDATE 1-Ex-Deloitte partner sentenced to 21 months for insider trades Fri, Oct 26 2012 Ex-Goldman director Gupta gets two-year prison sentence Wed, Oct 24 2012 Court gives "Millennium Bomber" tougher 37-year sentence Wed, Oct 24 2012 Leak will send ex-CIA officer to prison Tue, Oct 23 2012 Analysis & Opinion What the Cuban missile crisis teaches us about Iran Love within boundaries Related Topics U.S. » World » Investing Simplified » Aerospace & Defense » Middle East Turmoil » The aftermath of Sandy showcased in a series of large format pictures.   Full Article  British millionaire Christopher Tappin poses outside the offices of his lawyer Dan Cogdell in Houston April 26, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Richard Carson By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO | Thu Nov 1, 2012 5:05pm EDT SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - British millionaire Christopher Tappin pleaded guilty in federal court in Texas on Thursday to charges of attempting to sell missile parts to Iran, prosecutors said. Tappin, 66, from Orpington, Kent, who had previously pleaded not guilty, reversed that stance in federal court in El Paso as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors that calls for a sentence of 33 months in prison and a fine of more than $11,000, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman. Federal prosecutors say Tappin, a retired shipping magnate, and two other men sought to ship zinc/silver oxide batteries for Hawk Air Defense Missiles to Iran via the Netherlands. One of the middlemen turned out to be an undercover U.S. customs agent. "Mr. Tappin stated under oath that he was guilty of aiding the attempted export to Iran of sensitive military equipment," Pitman said in a statement. "In so doing, the defendant put at risk the national security of the United States and its allies by trying to sell to Iran the batteries that make the Hawk Missiles operational." The two other men involved in the scheme, which began in late 2005 and ended with Tappin's arrest in early 2007, have been sentenced to terms of 20 and 24 months in federal prison. Tappin was extradited to the U.S. earlier this year following a two-year legal battle. He is free on bond pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for January 9. Prosecutors have said they will not object to Tappin's sentence being served in England so he can be close to his ill wife and other family members. He had faced up to 35 years in prison. (Editing by Corrie MacLaggan and Eric Walsh) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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