Sending money to Iran earns doctor jail term

The physician was charged with illegal money transfers and tax evasion.
TOLEDO (AP) -- A physician who admitted that he sent 4 million to his native Iran over four years was sentenced to 60 days in a community jail and ordered to pay 1.15 million in fines and forfeitures, officials said.
Dr. Mohammad Anvari-Hamedani, 72, of Fostoria, entered guilty pleas in April to 36 counts of money laundering, making illegal money transfers to Iran and tax evasion.
The United States has a trade embargo against Iran and bars new investments from people in the United States.
The sentence
U.S. District Court Judge James Carr sentenced Anvari-Hamedani to the two-month confinement as well as three years of probation and 500 hours of community service. He must pay a 500,000 fine and a 650,000 forfeiture to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Carr departed from the normal sentencing guidelines of about three to nearly four year in prison due to Anvari-Hamedani's age and because he suffers from a blood disease, according to a news release from the government.
The judge said Anvari-Hamedani could complete his jail time on weekends so that he can continue practicing medicine.
A message seeking comment was left Monday night at the office of defense attorney Brad Hubbell.
Where the money went
Federal officials have said there is no evidence that the money was destined for terror groups or the Iranian government. Some of the financial transfers were to help build a conference center at a university in Tehran.
A search of Anvari-Hamedani's home in 2002 turned up evidence that suggested strong support of the current Iranian government and the late Ayatollah Khomeini, according to the government. Authorities have said most of the fund transfers occurred from 1998 to 2001.
Anvari-Hamedani, a U.S. citizen, immigrated from Iran in 1964. An obstetrician-gynecologist, he has operated a women's clinic in Fostoria since 1971.