NJ woman charged for plan to send aviation device to United Arab Emirates: Feds

Two people, including a woman from New Jersey, have been charged with illegally shipping an electronic aviation device from the Garden State to the United Arab Emirates.

Tara Jamhour of Rockaway, NJ, Charged

Federal authorities say 43-year-old Fadi Nammas of Fairfax, VA, and 24-year-old Tara Jamhour of Rockaway, NJ, are each facing the following charges:

• Conspiracy to export and smuggle goods from the United States
• Unlawfully exporting goods from the United States without having first obtained the required license or authorization
• Smuggling goods from the United States.

According to documents filed in this case, from November 2023 through this past March, the pair was working under the auspices of Star Aero, an aircraft service and part provider with a purported address in Garfield, NJ.

What is an ADIRU?

Officials say the defendants obtained an Air Data Inertial Reference Unit (ADIRU), a component that supplies air data and inertial reference information to pilots’ electronic flight instrument system displays, from a Vermont-based aviation company.

Nammas and Jamhour allegedly arranged to have the ADIRU shipped to Star Aero’s purported Garfield address. In procuring the item, the two represented that the ADIRU was for Star Aero’s stock purposes and would comply with United States export laws.

Feds say the defendants did not disclose that they intended to ship the ADIRU to another company in the UAE.

Once [they] received the ADIRU, they repackaged it with false documentation that undervalued and falsely described the item and attempted to ship it to the UAE. Neither Nammas nor Jamhour obtained the required license or authorization to ship the ADIRU, which was controlled for missile technology and anti-terrorism reasons, to the UAE.

Potential Prison Time

The charge of conspiracy is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charge of unlawfully exporting controlled goods is punishable by a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The charge of smuggling is punishable by up to a decade behind bars and a $250,000 fine.

Nammas made an initial court appearance on July 2nd; additional court proceedings were scheduled for the following day. Jamhour also made her initial appearance on July 2nd and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.