A former defense worker charged with trying to ship stolen proprietary information to Iran about the Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program and military jet engines has pleaded not guilty in Connecticut.
Mozaffar Khazaee entered the plea Wednesday in Bridgeport to charges of transporting property stolen from companies where he had worked, including Pratt & Whitney.
But federal authorities said they seized $59,945 that they believe Khazaee received in connection with the alleged theft. Khazaee was arrested last month at Newark Airport as he was attempting to travel to Iran. The cash was found in his carry-on luggage.
He's accused of attempting to ship a box of sensitive blueprints and other documents to his brother-in-law in Iran last October. The box, labeled as household goods, was intercepted in California.
Khazaee worked as an engineer at Pratt & Whitney before he was laid off by the company last summer.
