Fla. man convicted in Iran conspiracy

PENSACOLA, Fla. - A Pensacola business owner, James P. Meharg, 60, was sentenced to 40 months in prison on federal charges of conspiring to sell and export a Solar Mars 90 S core power generator to Iran, and concealing the action. Meharg is CEO/president of Turbine Resources International, LLC, located on Dog Track Road in Pensacola, was sentenced Jan. 24. The Department of Justice said Meharg conspired with people in the UK and Iran to export a large turbine and parts to an Iranian recipient – a violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations and federal criminal law. The U.S. Department of Justice says Meharg conspired from October 1, 2017, to June 12, 2019, to violate the Iranian embargo by attempting to "export a Solar Mars 90 S turbine core engine and parts from the United States, for delivery to an end user in Iran." DoJ evidence revealed Meharg sent an invoice for $500,000 to a conspirator in the UK and received two partial payments of $124,950 each, one of which was routed through Dubai. The monies were laundered through foreign accounts as payment for having the turbine to be sent to Iran. Law enforcement seized the turbine before its transatlantic journey to the end-user in Iran. (Source: WEAR 01/24/20) TRI has been in the gas turbine industry for 15 years. It is clear, according to the TRI website, that the oil and gas industry has a requirement for a privately owned company that provides competitively priced power generation solutions. TRI has taken on that challenge and is competing successfully with the multi-nationals. TRI specializes in Solar and Centaur gas producer overhauls, bidding projects worldwide, customer liaison, package refurbishments, repair parts, and field work. https://weartv.com/news/local/pensacola-man-who-shipped-equipment-to-iran-sentenced-to-40-months-in-prison