Conn. Man Admits Role in Arms Trafficking

[DoYouEverWonder]

December 15, 2004

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A New York City businessman admitted Wednesday to participating in an arms smuggling ring that shipped missile and fighter jet components from the United States to Israel and possibly on to Iran.

Leib Kohn pleaded guilty to conspiracy, admitting only that he knew the weapons parts were bound for Israel. Investigators allege an Israeli arms dealer may have been relaying the equipment to Iran.

"At least some of the parts were ultimately destined for Iran," U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor said. "We're not in a position to say definitely which parts or whether the parts ultimately made it there."

Kohn used his two Brooklyn-based companies, L&M Manufacturing and Nesco NY Inc., to buy the parts from companies in Connecticut and California.


http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-arms-trafficking,0,6098861.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines


I will never understand why Israel loves to do business with their enemies and then expects us to come to their defense when they get in trouble? I wonder if these guys got there start under Reagan during Iran-Contra. Isn't this the same sort of thing that happened then?

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Here's a little more info on Kohn and his International connections

Waging war on state's illegal arms trade

MICHAEL P. MAYKO in the Connecticut Post -- Monday, August 2, 2004

They shopped for radar components for HAWK missile systems and Phantom F-4 fighter jets in Connecticut. They purchased Black Hawk helicopter engines and illegally shipped them to China. They enlisted companies to export helicopter gun mounts that found their way to Iran and nuclear weapons testing parts that ended up in Pakistan. They are people like Yasmin and Tariq Ahmed of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, Kwonhwan Park of South Korea and Leib Kohn, a Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn. In the past 18 months, each has been charged in Connecticut with conspiring to violate federal export laws by attempting to ship military parts overseas without the proper approvals or licenses. Several more cases are under investigation.

http://www.pelicanfile.com/reporter.cfm/ReporterID/1117.cfm

[Moderator]

2. lcoking

duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1075634