Iranian National Negar Ghodskani Pleads Guilty In Minneapolis In Tech Smuggling Case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Iranian national Negar Ghodskani has pleaded guilty in Minnesota to conspiring to facilitate the illegal export of technology from the U.S. to her home country.

Ghodskani, 40, entered her plea Friday before U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen in Minneapolis. Ghodskani was indicted in 2015 in Minnesota and arrested in Australia in 2017, where she became the subject of a long extradition fight.

Her attorney, Robert Richman, says she arrived in the U.S. last month after she stopped fighting extradition. He says she pleaded guilty because she wanted to accept responsibility for her actions. And he says they'll ask the judge to sentence her to time served.

Federal prosecutors say Ghodskani and others established a front company in Malaysia to illegally obtain restricted technology from American companies, including one in Minnesota.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)