Plantation man pleads guilty to shipping military aircraft parts to iran miami news - riptide 2.0

25/10/2011 15:54Plantation Man Pleads Guilty To Shipping Military Aircraft Parts to Iran - Miami News - Riptide 2.0

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Plantation Man Pleads Guilty To ShippingMilitary Aircraft Parts to IranBy Tim Elfrink Thu., Apr. 2 2009 at 1:44 PM Comments (1)

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The Judge

Categories: The Judge

It's probably safe to add "shipping military aircraft parts to Iran" to your running list of

"Bad Business Plans."

Traian Bujduveanu, a Romanian citizen living in Plantation, learned that the hard way,

pleading guilty in downtown Miami federal court today of plotting to ship sensitive

military parts to Iran, the U.S. Attorney's Office tells Riptide.

It's the latest in a bizarre South Florida-Iran

illicit arms connection. Shahrzad Mir

Gholikhan, whose story we brought you a few

months ago, earned a 29-month sentence for

her part in a deal to send night-vision goggles to

the Islamic Republic.

Bujduveanu, 53, ran a company called Orion

Aviation in Plantation. In 2007, he hooked up

with a California man named Hassan Saied

Keshari, who had connections in Tehran.

Keshari, who plead guilty for his role in the

scheme in January, took orders from Iranian

officials for parts for the F-14 Fighter Jet, Cobra

AH-1 Attack Helicopter and CH-53A Military

Helicopter and forwarded them to Bujduveanu.

All those aircraft are used by the Iranian

military, the U.S. attorney's office says, and only

the Iranians still fly the F-14. After receiving

the orders, Bujduveanu shipped them to a

holding company in Dubai, which sent them

along to Tehran.

Both Bujduveanu and Keshari are awaiting

sentencing.

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A New American Story

“World events do not occur by accident. They are made to happen, whether it is to do with nationalissues or commerce; and most of them are staged and managed by those who hold the purse strings” Denis Healey, former British Defense Minister

On January 3, 2011, Traian Bujduveanu will be released from a federal halfway house to return to hisfamily in Plantation, Florida. And halfway is precisely how it feels to him. He will have his freedom, butnot his good name. The government took that from him in June of 2008 when they used explosives to blast open the doorsto his home in order to execute a raid at six o’clock in the morning. They took it when they struck hisblind and elderly mother as they marched through his home, eventually dragging Bujduveanu inhandcuffs from his bedroom into the backyard. It was a scene reminiscent of war time videos taken by imbedded photo journalists in Iraq orAfghanistan, but the similarities are not just visual. The details are all too remindful of stories of betrayalat the hands of the American government. The same government that, in times past and present, seeksout the help of Iraqi or Afghanistan, or Vietnamese, citizens to overthrow their government, only to bethrown themselves beneath the wheels of democracy when it suited American interests to do so. Like his name, Bujduveanu’s story is complex, until you break it down into smaller parts and review it afew times so that it becomes familiar. Traian Bujduveanu, a naturalized citizen of the United States, wasrecruited by the American government back in the 1980’s to assist in its plans to overthrow thecommunist regime of his native Romania. Two decades later, that same government accusedBujduveanu of conspiring to export military aircraft parts to Iran. In the process they were sufficientlyable to threaten and intimidate him until he plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit. The question of why– why did the government fabricate this case, is just as complex and, yet, just as simple. Bujduveanu came to the United States, to New York City, from Romania in 1974 with his family. He was18 years old and filled with optimism. This was America, land of the free, and a place where anyonecould succeed through hard work and determination. After six years in the United States, Bujduveanuapplied for and was granted citizenship in his adopted home. His parents and two sisters also becamenaturalized citizens. But they were not the first in the Bujduveanu family to take this path. His family and all ancestors wereborn in Greek-Macedonia, near the ancient city of Pela. By the late 1930’s Greece, through the GreekSecret Services, had begun an aggressive campaign to confiscate territory and property from ancientMacedonia and its people, employing a form of ethnic cleansing in its wake. By 1939 there was a massexodus from Greek-Macedonia, also known as ancient Macedonia, with half settling in far awayAustralia, Canada and the United States. While Traian’s grandfather fled to Romania, his grandfather’sbrother immigrated to the United States, settling in New York. There Traian’s young uncle, Ionel, enlisted

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as a pilot in the United States Army during World War II. Along with thousands of other pilots, Ionel was assigned to Operation Ploiesti, making dangerousdaylight bombing raids against petroleum refineries in oil rich Romania. During the latter stages of WorldII, Romania, in the concert with the German/ Italian axis of power, was supplying as much as a third ofpetroleum Hitler’s forces needed on the eastern front against Russia. Because of Ionel’s extensive ties inRomania, the U.S. Army agreed to change his legal name to John Nicholas should he be shot down inone of the raids and there be reprisals against the Bujduveanu clan. It was this story of his uncle that inspired Traian to enter the Spartan College of Aeronautics in Tulsa,Oklahoma, with the goal of getting a pilot’s license. He graduated in 1980 with a degree in Avionics andInstruments. In 1984 Bujduveanu moved to Florida where he began working for a company called New WorldAviation. He quickly found himself in sales, assisting the company as it grew and expanded, selling toforeign governments and their military, throughout Central and South America. A year later, agents of the United States government approached Bujduveanu to enlist his assistance inits efforts to bring down the dictatorial government of Nicolae Ceausescu. After World War II, Romaniahad fallen under Russia control and influence, leading to a succession of repressive communistleadership, ultimately culminating with the installment of Ceausescu in 1965. Ceausescu vacillatingbetween support of Russian submission and Romanian independence, but maintained absolute controlthroughout, never wavering in his fervor for the Marxist concept. Bujduveanu possessed all the qualities the U.S. government desired. Although born in a small village, hisfamily moved to Bucharest, Romania’s capital, when he was still an infant. He grew up with Romania’spolitical elite, many of whom attained important government offices themselves when their time came.Some were even placed in highly sensitive security positions. Bujduveanu had been able to maintainfriendship and contacts from his childhood as he returned to Romania year after year on holiday, andoccasionally business. He was obviously fluent in the Romanian language, as well as Macedonian. He was additionally fluent inEnglish and had picked up some Spanish-language skills during his travels throughout Latin America.Although a Romanian citizen by birth, Bujduveanu was a proud citizen of the United States and a firmbeliever in democracy. “If Greece was the cradle of democracy,” Bujduveanu is fond of saying, “then Macedonia was itsbirthplace.” Of course he would help the American government in its opposition to the corrupt communist regime inhis home country in the name of democracy. Although he was a willing soldier in the cover war, he wasnot a spy, not in the Hollywood sense of the word. He was not involved in any kind of assassinations ordeath squads. His job was to target high level assets and gather information. He left New World Aviation and began his own business, Orion Aviation Corporation, a modest companywhich he operated from his home in Florida. But it was more than a front for his clandestine services, itwas part of his dream, the same American dream that brought his family here in the first place. Ultimately, the Ceausescu regime was toppled over the course of a single week, from December 16through 22 in 1989. “Minor incidents in the Transylvania city of Timisoara led to violence, which quickly spread to othercities.” – Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition (1995). Ceausescu was arrested, tied and executed on Christmas Day. Bujduveanu’s picture had been takenshaking the leader’s hand only months before. “I am familiar with these events and the role of the U.S. government in them,” Bujduveanu admits. “Butit’s not important. What is important is that Romania is once again a democracy, and a betterdemocracy than what we have here now. Of course I’m talking about the government, the corruption ofthe United States government in recent years.” Bujduveanu is quick to add, “It is the government and not the American people. But if they don’t wakeup, if the American public does not begin to hold their government responsible for its actions, they willlose what rights and what democracy they have left.” After the fall of Ceausescu, all seemed right with the world. Orion Aviation was doing well, following thesame line of business as his former employer, but with more of a focus in Eastern Europe and PacificRim countries. But the U.S. government and its agents were never far behind, contacting him regularlyfor input on a variety of issues. Bujduveanu’s arrest and search warrant were executed on June 21, 2008, and he and his family werenot very fortunate. The sound of the explosion when government agents blew open his front door, combined with theensuing smoke, prompted a neighbor to jump over his fence to investigate, worried that something waswrong. He was met by half a dozen men dressed in SWAT-style gear who told him to return to his home.When he asked what had happened they told him he could read all about in the tomorrow’s newspapers.But what his neighbor wouldn’t read about was Bujduveanu’s mother, who suffered was later diagnosedas a heart attack. Officials called a fire and rescue ambulance for her, but later sent it away after she wasstabilized in an attempt to cover up the incident. Frustrated in not being able to find what they were looking for, a squad of agents and officers begandigging, literally, with shovels found on the property. Interestingly, the government claims to have “found boxes of military aircraft parts stored onBujduveanu’s property, including hundreds of parts for the C-130, the F-5, and other military aircrafts.” The court, in its limited wisdom, has decided not to allow Bujduveanu to present a multitude of proofs onappeal by granting the government’s “Motion in Limine”, filed after it saw the defensive evidence heplanned to present on appeal. It is an obscure legal maneuver that “preclude(s) the Defendant fromchallenging these (parts) classifications in Court or at trial,” or otherwise in public. The government’s motion goes on: “In the sampling of the Defendant’s filings attached hereto …, theDefendant attempts to explain that the parts at issue are not military or are not suitable for military usebecause they are used antiqued parts. This “explanation” would be irrelevant to any judiciable issue attrial.

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At this Bujduveanu’s demeanor change and he is no longer the stoic protagonist. Struggling to maintainhis emotion he asks, “What are they trying to hide? Why don’t they discuss this in the open? In fact, Iranhas a firm order for 250 MIG-29 and 250 SU-27 aircrafts, or because the Iran Aircraft Industrymanufactures its own aircrafts including a variant of the F-5 aircraft, or because the Iranian HelicopterIndustry has been placed there and is manufactured its own Bell Helicopters. Do they really need 40years old junk parts? Or is this the kind of noise that we need to make before we enter into Iran in orderto create another revolution there? Can anybody see that we are a total failure when it comes down toforeign policy and relations?” Bujduveanu’s frustration grows with each question. He is frustrated withthe court’s compliance with the government in keeping him silent when they have so publicly humiliatedhim. There was no court stepping in to stop the federal government, or the multitude of separategovernment agencies from putting out their own press releases after his arrest. No judge to keepgovernment friendly websites, indeed some government sponsored websites, from presenting a one-side view – the prosecution’s view, before he had been arraigned. No higher authority to protect himfrom being tried in the press, at the behest of the government, so that this same government could use itall against him in pressuring him to plead guilty. Everyone questioned and interrogated by thegovernment where quoting the federal agents saying, “There is a lot of pressure from above …” Pressureby whom? Who were these people above? “And these lists – the Munitions Control List and the Commerce Control List, they are available toanyone on the Internet. They show the part numbers and descriptions. They show the classifications. Sowhat are they afraid of? Why won’t they let me make my case in the court?” But Bujduveanu did have his day in the court, and he pleaded guilty to the charges. On April 2, 2009,Bujduveanu appeared in the Southern District of Florida courtroom and capitulated to the government’ssingular charge of conspiracy to illegally export military and dual use aircraft parts to Iran. He reenteredthe same court on June 11, 2009, for sentencing: 35 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 yearsof supervised release. “You must understand how the government works. When they arrested me they put me in a SHU(Special Housing Unit), completely isolated and sleeping on the floor for the first ten days. My attorneyhad to plead with the court to take me down to the general population area. This is here in the UnitedStates, not some Third World country.” “The government threatened me with other charges, crazy charges. All lies. But remember, I’ve seenthem lie. They are very good at lying. This I’ve experienced first hand,” Bujduveanu says with an almostcasual reference to his past dealings with government agents during the Romanian plot. “I had to thinkof my elderly mother and my son.” Bujduveanu has a seventeen year old son who lives with his ex-wife only a few miles from his home.Their residence was also searched, computers confiscated and his son’s vacation money seized. Additionally, Bujduveanu had no access to his documents or the Internet in order to properly aid in hisdefense. He went through three different lawyers before he was able to find someone with the expertiseto help him. By then he had pled guilty and had been sentenced, but still held out hope for his appeal.Then the court, in alliance with the government, instituted the gag order, giving him little to hope for atthis point, like being halfway home. All were in the overused name of national defense and homeland security. Indict and convict, but don’tallow the defendant to put on a defense or appeal by confronting their accusers or challenging theevidence. With the stroke of an executive order pen here and a government sponsored gag order there,a new American story is told. But that still doesn’t answer the original question. Why? And why Traian Bujduveanu? As one recentU.S. president said, simply because they can. The United States foreign policy efforts since the Iraqi war have been dismal. Friendly or otherwiseempathetic countries around the world have been hesitant to give America the same kind of carte blanksupport they once did in the immediate aftermath of 09/11. This is particularly true of the cautious, oreven skeptical, view countries take with regard to America stands regarding Iran. In a related case this past May, a French court refused an American request to extradite an Iranianbusinessman who was accused of violating an American embargo on exports to Iran. Majid Kakavand,37, had been arrested at a Paris airport in March of 2009 on an American warrant. But the Frenchgovernment prosecutor opposed the extradition request noting that Kakavand had not violated Frenchlaw and that the equipment involved “was not necessarily military in nature.” (The New York Times,Thursday, May 6, 2010) So the American government seeks to achieve their goals by finding scapegoats here at home, backedby the courts and, in particular, a conservative Supreme Court found to be even more conservative in itsinterpretations of the War Powers Act. Lastly, through fear and intimidation, the government acquires the assistance of its citizens in combatingthe “axis of evil” at every turn. The message is: “Be afraid, be very afraid, to do business with anyone ofIranian decent or affiliation.” The government may not be able to get away with racial profiling, but itscitizens can. Everyone involved in this case have disappeared. The PSI officer, the lawyers, the state attorney, thefederal agents, and none of the agencies involved in this case faded away. The only two peopleremaining in this case are Bujduveanu and Judge Seitz.

Case in point: Arizona’s new illegal alien law makes it a crime for anyone to give aid to an illegal alien. Ifa driver pulled over for a simple traffic stop is found to have an illegal alien in their vehicle, they havecommitted a crime by giving them a ride. Average citizens are required to determine if each passenger islegally on this side of the border. The simplest way to achieve the goal is to not give a ride to anyonewith a Spanish surname, a Spanish accent or a brown skin tone not attribute to the Arizona sun.

But that’s another new American story.

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Reply to this comment Cocoselu AntonOn June 21, 2008, the United States by and through the following agencies: Federal Bureau ofInvestigations, United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement,National Security Agency, United States Custom Office, United States Immigration Department ofDefense Criminal Investigation Service, Department of Treasury - Office of Foreign Assets Control,Plantation Police Department, Broward County Sheriff Department, Plantation Fire and Rescue Service,Department of Commerce, United States Department of State – Directorate of Defense Trade Controls,Department of Justice, United States Marshall, did raid Traian Bujduveanu’s residence. This raid requiring over 30 agents to overwhelm any resistance which may have been offered by TraianBujduveanu or his eighty-four year old blind mother, permitted the government to seize extremelyvaluable assets which according to the lead prosecutors for the United States were claimed in Court tobe worth more than “$ 100,000 from the boxes alone”, not including the cash or computers. Contrary to the representations made by the assistant United States attorney in her place as an attorneybefore the bar in the open court, during the preconvention motion, the assets seized were less than $10,000.00 rather than considerable “ over $ 100,000.00” aircraft parts and consisted of antiqued aircraftparts, this even after an extensive search involving dozens of agents digging holes in the TraianBujduveanu’s garden. The patently ridiculous television type drama did not harvest anything more than would have beenrecovered if the United States had chosen to detain Traian Bujduveanu while at or on the way to Publixthe previous day, or had the United States calmly knocked on the door with a search warrant instead ofterrorizing an eighty-four year old blind woman and sending her to the hospital by striking her. According to the witnesses that have been questioned or interrogated, Traian Bujduveanu was undersurveillance since 2007, which represents considerable time before the raid, and could have beendetained without the need to break in and breakdown doors, causing unneeded damages to theproperty and by standers. Apparently, the bureaucratic imperative of needing to justify the expenses of this misadventure createsufficient rationale for the United States Attorney’s Office to behave in a manner more consistent withRomania’s former communism regime than the spirit of the “taking clause” in the United StatesConstitution. It is regrettable Bujduveanu’s prior counsels, openly admitted, they were afraid to challenge the UnitedStates otherwise this matter could have been more promptly addressed. A current colleague of Bujduveanu has said it is a shame to hear this type of fear comment from anycitizen, let alone attorneys, because when the government’s citizens have become afraid of thegovernment, especially where it involves the citizens willingness to speak the truth, “the government nolonger has legitimate authority to govern”. The government conducted a massive investigation to get a handful of used parts, which if presented toa jury would have resulted not only in acquittal, but made the government a laughing stock. Bujduveanu regrets buckling into the coercion of the government and his innate fear of governmentinstead of properly presenting the case to court and public and having his day in court.

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Plantation man pleads guilty to shipping military aircraft parts to iran miami news - riptide 2.0

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