ILLINOIS – A Taiwan businessman was sentenced to two years in federal prison for supplying North Korea weapons manufacturing machinery, according to officials.
According to court documents, Hsien Tai Tsai, 69, was associated with at least three companies based in Taiwan – Global Interface Company Inc., Trans Merits Co. Ltd., and Trans Multi Mechanics Co. Ltd. – that purchased and then exported from the United States and other countries machinery used to fabricate metals and other materials with a high degree of precision, authorities said.
Tsai plead guilty in October 2014, admitting that he conspired with others to interfere with and obstruct U.S. sanctions against North Korea that seek to disrupt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
When imposing sentence, Judge Charles R. Norgle credited Tsai for cooperating in an ongoing investigation of weapons of mass destruction proliferators, officials said.
“Hsien Tai Tsai violated a critical sanctions regime and undermined and interfered with U.S. efforts to disrupt North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and advanced weapons programs,” said Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin.
Adding, “These sanctions are meant to raise the cost for WMD proliferators to do business and deter others from proliferating by denying them access to our financial and commercial systems. This prosecution makes clear that we will use all of our tools to identify and arrest WMD proliferators and to disrupt their efforts to undermine our country’s security. I’d like to thank all who helped with this investigation and prosecution.”