A Morris County county woman and a Virginia resident were accused this week of illegally exporting and smuggling an aviation device into the United Arab Emirates, federal prosecutors said.
Fadi Nammas, 43, of Fairfax, Virginia, and Tara Jamhour, 24, of Rockaway, were arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of conspiracy to export and smuggle goods from the United States, and other related charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey.
From November 2023 through March 2024, Nammas and Jamhour were working for an aircraft service and part provider based out of New Jersey, the office said.
It was during this time that the pair obtained a device called an Air Data Inertial Reference Unit, or ADIRU. The device supplies air data and inertial reference information to pilots’ electronic flight instrument system displays, authorities said. It can be used in both consumer planes and military aircraft.
The pair allegedly obtained the device from a Vermont-based company under the guise of using it for their employer’s stock purposes. The two told the company they understood and would comply with United States export laws, authorities said. Meanwhile, they didn’t use it for work and instead allegedly planned to ship the ADIRU to another company in the United Arab Emirates.
Once they received the device, Nammas and Jamhour repackaged it with incorrect documentation that undervalued and falsely described the item and attempted to ship it to the United Arab Emirates, federal prosecutors said.
Neither Nammas nor Jamhour obtained the required license or authorization to ship the device, which was controlled for missile technology and anti-terrorism reasons, according to the prosecutor.
The two had their initial federal court appearances Tuesday. While Nammas was scheduled to have another court appearance on Wednesday, Jamhour was released on $100,000 unsecured bond, the office said.
Stories by Chris Sheldon
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.