Lobbyist indicted for violating U.S. sanctions on Sudan government

A lobbyist was indicted Tuesday for acting as an unregistered agent of the Republic of Sudan.
 
Robert Cabelly, who was a State Department official in the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations, was charged by federal prosecutors with violating U.S. sanctions against Sudan and acting as an unregistered agent for the country in Washington, as well as passport fraud, money laundering and making false statements, according to his eight-count indictment.
 

Cabelly was scheduled Tuesday to appear in federal court at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson. If convicted, the lobbyist could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Cabelly is charged with four counts of violating sanctions against Sudan, with each count carrying a 20-year prison sentence if proven in court.
 
According to the indictment, Cabelly represented Sudan from early 2005 to mid-2007 without first seeking approval from the U.S. government, which is required under law due to U.S. sanctions. He provided Sudan with sensitive and controlled information from government sources, and he acted as an intermediary for an unnamed foreign oil company that wanted to do business in the African country, prosecutors charged.
 
In addition, Cabelly allegedly directed the oil company to deposit over $180,000 of his lobbying fees in an offshore account in the Cook Islands, concealing the fact that the funds were in violation of U.S. sanctions against Sudan.
 
“Those who pursue their own personal gain at the expense of our nation's trade embargoes can expect to be aggressively prosecuted,” acting U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips said in a statement. “Our national security depends on strict enforcement of U.S. export laws such as the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations.”
 
Cabelly is the head of C/R International, a firm that represented the governments of Angola, Ethiopia and Equatorial Guinea in the past. He signed a $530,000 annual contract with the Embassy of Sudan in July 2005 but the contract was terminated in February 2006, according to Justice Department records.