Retired University of Tennessee Professor Convicted of Arms Export Violations
On Wednesday, September 3, 2008, a federal jury convicted retired University of Tennessee professor Dr. J. Reece Roth, after a seven day trial, of illegally exporting military technical information relating to plasma technology designed to be deployed on the wings of drones operating as a weapons or surveillance systems.
The Arms Export Control Act prohibits the export of defense-related materials, including the technical data, to a foreign national or a foreign nation, without the required U.S. government license. The illegal arms exports by Dr. Roth related to technical data and information that was developed through a U.S. Air Force research and development contract to develop this advanced form of a drone.
Dr. Roth was specifically convicted of one count of conspiring with Atmospheric Glow Technology, Inc., a Knoxville, Tennessee, technology company, to unlawfully export in 2005 and 2006 fifteen different “defense articles” to a citizen of the People’s Republic of China in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. He was also convicted of 15 counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and one count of wire fraud relating to defrauding the University of Tennessee of the honest services by illegally exporting sensitive military information relating to this U.S. Air Force contract.
The maximum punishment for the conspiracy conviction is five (5) years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The maximum penalty for each of the Arms Export Control Act offenses is ten (10) years imprisonment, a criminal fine of $1,000,000, and a mandatory special assessment of $100 for each
offense. Dr. Roth’s sentencing has been set for January 7, 2009, at 1:30 p.m., in United States District Court in Knoxville.
You must be logged in to post a comment.