MJS:

Wisconsin-made outboard engines, boat generators and marine propulsion systems were illegally routed to the Iranian navy with the help of a Turkish businessman, according to an indictment that landed him in Milwaukee federal court Monday.

Resit Tavan, 40, of Istanbul, was arrested in Romania in June on an international warrant stemming from his indictment in Milwaukee. After a lengthy extradition, he was arraigned on Monday and ordered detained without bail.

His attorney, Nejla Lane, said Tavan pleaded not guilty to all charges and wants to clear his name. She said she plans to seek his release on bond in coming weeks. She said members of the Turkish consulate in Chicago were also present and have been trying offer Tavan assistance.

According to the indictment, the defendants failed to obtain the special licenses needed to get around trade embargoes against Iran in place since 1995.Instead, the defendants negotiated the export of the engines and generators to Turkey, then re-exported to Iran. In 2013, Tavan signed an agreement to buy two Germantown-based Seven Marine 557 outboard engines, worth more than $100,000 each, through a commercial brokerage, representing that the engines would be used in Turkey.

The indictment also describes the sale of a some Kohler Marine generators in 2015 intended for use on an Iranian boat designed to include covert missile launching tubes.

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