Turkish Plot to Export Military Components Foiled
Florida woman Yuksel Senbol will serve 15 months for her part in a conspiracy to sell substandard components to the U.S. military that were fraudulently manufactured in Turkiye.
This comes after Senbol pleaded guilty on May 7 to 25 felony counts in a Florida federal court, according to a May 8 DOJ press release.
Claimed Parts Were Manufactured in the U.S.
In around April 2019, Senbol began working with Mehmet Ozcan, a Turkish national who operated a manufacturing company in Turkiye called Edebali Makina, according to the indictment. Senbol also started working with Onur Simsek, another Turkish national living in Turkiye who pled guilty in 2018 to a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government by selling Turkish-manufactured components to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), resulting in Simsek being prohibited from doing any business with any U.S. Government agency from Oct. 12, 2018, to Oct. 10, 2023.
Under Ozcan and Simsek’s direction, Senbol became the operator and registered agent of a Florida-based company called Mason Engineering Parts, LLC, according to the indictment. Senbol registered her company with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a part of DOD, as a “Woman Owned Small Business.” Senbol then entered into contracts and sub-contracts with the DLA to supply them with manufactured U.S. military components.
Falsely Claimed Standards Certification
Senbol told the DLA that Mason Engineering was manufacturing military components in the United States, but this was untrue, according to the indictment. Senbol also assured the DLA she had ISO 9001 Certification, which proved her commitment to high-quality standards. She did not have that certification.
Senbol kept the involvement of Simsek, Ozcan and Ozcan’s company, Edebali Makina, secret from the DLA and did not inform them that Ozcan and Simsek used software to remotely access her computer from Turkiye and get export-controlled technical drawings, so they could manufacture the components at Edebali Makina to supply to the DLA, prosecutors say.
Senbol, Ozcan and Simsek communicated via phone calls, emails and encrypted message apps to try to conceal their actions, according to the indictment. When the DLA paid Senbol for her services, she used a wire transfer to send the money to Turkish bank accounts under Edebali Makina’s name.
Two Coconspirators Still at Large
In addition to the 15-month sentence Senbol received, she will also serve 3 years of supervised release, according to her sentencing documents. Senbol will also have to pay $148,390.50 in restitution to the Defense Supply Center Columbus and another $148,390.50 in restitution to the Defense Logistics Agency-Aviation for her part in the 25 felony count scheme. Senbol’s coconspirators, Ozcan and Simsek, are still at large.
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