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Man Pleads Guilty To Sending Money To Iran

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Jun 1, 2006 9:04 am US/Central

Man Pleads Guilty To Sending Money To Iran

Hossein Esfahani Of Lincolnwood Allegedly Transmitted $3.9 Million

CHICAGO (STNG) ― A Lincolnwood man with ties to an allegedly crooked West Side auto dealership owner pleaded guilty Wednesday to sending millions of dollars to Iran through an illegal money transmitting business.

Hossein Esfahani, 45, pleaded guilty to illegally transmitting $3.9 million from U.S. bank accounts to Iran through a complicated scheme that involved using alternate names.

Esfahani is charged with sending those funds without U.S. Treasury Department authorization, which is required because the U.S. considers Iran a country that sponsors terrorism. Prosecutors have previously tied Esfahani to Amir Hosseini, a former car dealer charged last year with selling vehicles to gang members and allowing drug deals on his lots.

Hosseini and Esfahani together owned property in New Lenox, according to court records. Hosseini gave Esfahani more than $150,000 that ended up in Iran, prosecutors have said. Esfahani faces up to 57 months in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 3.

(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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