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Contractor denied release in Iran documents case

By WTOP Staff

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A former defense contractor engineer poses too much of a flight risk to release from prison while he awaits trial on charges that he tried to ship sensitive military documents to Iran, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel denied a bail request by Mozaffar Khazaee, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of transporting property stolen from companies where he’d worked, including jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney.

“He has very good reason to leave the country,” Garfinkel said.

Hubert Santos, Khazaee’s attorney, said the government was wrongly inferring he was trying to help the Iranian government and was falsely accusing him because he’s an Iranian citizen. He said Khazaee was trying to get a job as a professor and was trying to impress a university in Iran.

“I just think it’s a situation of overkill and the leaps that the government makes,” Santos said.

Prosecutor Krishna Patel said authorities are concerned the Iranian government could gain access to the materials and would be concerned with anyone engaged in such conduct.

Khazaee, 59, tried to ship to Iran stolen proprietary information about the Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program, a fighter jet, and military jet engines, prosecutors said. Customs inspectors found sensitive technical manuals and other documents in a November shipment to Iran that Khazaee described in shipping documents as household goods, prosecutors said.

Khazaee was arrested in January at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey en route to Tehran.

In the court papers filed Tuesday, prosecutors say a review of Khazaee’s emails indicates that as of 2009 he already had provided a university in Iran with documents related to the Joint Strike Fighter program. In one email to a university in 2009, Khazaee wrote that the documents he posted “are very controlled … and I am taking big risk,” prosecutors wrote.

“The investigation determined that over the past decade or so, while employed as an engineer at certain defense contractors, Khazaee surreptitiously stole from his employers tens of thousands of pages of extremely sensitive military technology, which he attempted to send — and in some instances successfully sent — to Iran,” prosecutors wrote.

Garfinkel cited that comment in denying his release.

“He knew apparently based on what he said he was at risk of what’s happening right now,” Garfinkel said.

Santos said Khazaee was traveling to Iran to visit his ill mother. He also questioned the value of the materials, saying a lot of it was old and obsolete. Khazaee has no criminal record, is not a flight risk and did not believe any materials he took to Iran involved sensitive information, Santos said.

Patel said Khazaee was trying to leave the country with sensitive military material he knew he wasn’t supposed to have.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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