GREENBELT, Md. – A trial has begun for an Iranian-American man accused of helping Iran launch a satellite from Russia, a violation of a trade embargo the United States has against the country.
Nadar Modanlo's trial opened Tuesday in federal court in Greenbelt, Md. Prosecutors say the Maryland resident brokered an agreement between the Russian government and Iran that resulted in the 2005 launch from Russia of an Iranian satellite, the country's first.
But Modanlo's defense attorney, Douglas Miller, said in opening statements that the allegations are baseless. Miller said the allegations have been a nightmare for a man who came to the United States to study and stayed to pursue the American dream.
Modanlo's trial is expected to last several weeks. He faces a possibility of decades in prison.
