Jun 23, 2008 11:20 pm US/Eastern
Man Accused Of Selling Airplane Parts To Iran
PLANTATION (CBS4) ―
For the most part, Traian Bujduveanu seemed like a normal neighbor in his Plantation home, but his alleged business practices got him arrested by federal agents.
"He's a very nice neighbor, unassuming, quiet, he is a good father to his son who plays Little League sports with one of my nephews," said Neighbor Scott Ehringer.
According to Ehringer, Traian is a Romanian immigrant who also cares for his elderly mother who is blind. But federal investigators came crashing through his house to arrest him late last week. They say he and his partner on the West coast are no ordinary businessman.
"These individuals are charged with helping Iran build up its military, using American-made parts, and that's something we can't allow," said U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta.
The feds accuse Traian of shipping out airplane parts to a contact in California, who would in turn send them to Iran, all without a license. The biggest concern for agents is that it violates the U.S. embargo against Iran. They say the man was helping a terrorist nation.
"In this world, the last thing we want is to help a country like Iran strengthen it's military," said Acosta.
Traian's attorney says his client may not have known the parts were ending up in Iranian fighter planes and helicopters. He says his client, who is 53 years old, is not a dangerous man.
"I wouldn't suspect my client would be a threat to national security," said attorney Bruce Lyons.
Scott didn't suspect it either, but he's not willing to rule it out.
"If these charges are upheld, it's a very serious, serious infraction," he said.
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