State
Briton gets 33 months for weapons-to-Iran plot
Posted: Jan 9, 2013 11:24 AM
Updated: Jan 9, 2013 11:25 AM
EL PASO, Texas (AP) A British businessman has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for trying to buy missile parts and resell them to Iran.
Christopher Tappin pleaded guilty in November after reaching a plea agreement that opened the door for him to serve part of his sentence in Britain near his wife. A judge sentenced him Wednesday.
The 65-year-old pleaded guilty to trying to purchase missile batteries from undercover U.S. agents with the intention of exporting them to Iran without obtaining a license.
Tappin's extradition to the U.S. in February 2012 touched a nerve in Britain, where many believe extradition arrangements with the United States are unfairly weighted against British citizens.
