U.S. Court Upholds Jurisdiction and Denies Reza Zarrab’s Motion to Dismiss Indictment on Violation of Iranian Sanctions

            On October 17, 2016, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman of the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York denied the motion by Reza Zarrab, a Turkish/Iranian businessman, arrested upon arriving in Florida, to dismiss the criminal charges of violating the U.S. sanctions against Iran. On March 19, 2016, Zarrab was arrested enroute to Disney World with his wife and five-year-old daughter.  On March 30, 2016, Zarrab was charged in a four-count Superseding Indictment with the following crimes:  conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and to impede the lawful functions of the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in violation of 18 U.S.C. §371; conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. §§ 1701-1706, and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), 31 C.F.R. §§ 560.202-205; conspiracy to commit bank fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956-1957.