United States v. Empire Navigation Inc. and Suez Rajan Limited

On April 19, 2023, Suez Rajan Limited, the bareboat charterer of the oil tanker Suez Rajan, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and economic sanctions against Iran, in connection with a scheme to covertly sell and transport for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 980,000 barrels of Iranian crude oil to a customer abroad. On that same date, the company was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols for the District of Columbia to three years of corporate probation and a fine of almost $2.5 million.

In addition, pursuant to a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) and a seizure warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Empire Navigation Inc., the operating company of the vessel carrying the contraband cargo, agreed to be jointly liable for the fine imposed on Suez Rajan Limited, to cooperate with the government, and to transport the Iranian oil to the United States for seizure.

Press Release: Justice Department Announces First Criminal Resolution Involving the Illicit Sale and Transport of Iranian Oil in Violation of U.S. Sanctions

Related Case: United States v. All Petroleum-Product Cargo Aboard the Suez Rajan with International Maritime Number 9524475, 23-CV-00882-CJN (D.D.C.)