Bolingbrook man charged in smuggling scheme
A 33-year-old Bolingbrook man who ran a business based in Schaumburg is accused of trying to smuggle a thermal-imaging camera out of the country, against federal export regulations.
The camera is on the U.S. Commerce Department's list of controlled export goods for reasons of “national security and regional stability,” according to court papers. A license is required to export the camera.
Bilal Ahmed is accused of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by not obtaining proper licensing for the device he was attempting to send to Pakistan, prosecutors said. A federal grand jury indictment was announced Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Ahmed negotiated the purchase of the camera for roughly $102,000 from a company in California. In March, Ahmed is accused of packaging the camera in two boxes and using a commercial shipper's office in Elk Grove Village to send the packages to Pakistan with a handwritten note indicating “no license required,” prosecutors said.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.