According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Baghdasarian was apprehended May 19 at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta as he prepared to board a flight for the United Arab Emirates. The government alleges that he conspired to use a U.A.E. trading company as a go-between to transport products to Irans Pars Oil.

He was arraigned in federal court in Atlanta on May 21 and subsequently released on $20,000 bond. As conditions of his release, he surrendered his passport and was prohibited from traveling outside Georgia and South Carolina.

Baghdasarians attorney could not be reached for comment. Delfin placed Baghdasarian on administrative leave and installed Vice President John Gordon to handle his responsibilities.

Delfin Group USA is the U.S. subsidiary of Russia-based Delfin Group. Delfin officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

As part of its ongoing disagreement with Irans nuclear program, Washington prohibits U.S. companies and individuals from directly or indirectly supplying goods to Iranian companies.

A criminal complaint filed by Department of Homeland Security Special Agent John Hardin alleges that in June and July of 2010, Baghdasarian exchanged e-mails with an unnamed individual at Do It FTZ, a trading company serving as Delfins agent in United Arab Emirates, discussing a sale of marine oils to Pars Oil. Another series of messages between the Do It representative and a third individual discussed how to avoid the U.S. sanctions. Hardin said the messages discussed exporting deliveries to the U.A.E., where they would be relabeled for shipment on to Iran.

According to the criminal complaint, authorities found a barrel from Delfin labeled as originating from a Santa Cruz, Calif., company identified as Lubespanol. The label included an emergency contact phone number that turned out to be a toll free number for lingerie marketer Victorias Secret.

After that shipment, Hardin alleged, an unnamed individual with Pars sent an e-mail to Baghdasarian stating, I will be honored to be your partner in Iran….

The criminal complaint also alleges that in August 2011, customs officers identified eight containers of aviation engine oil being exported to another U.A.E. trader, Trivision, and that documents filed by Delfin identified Trivision as the end-user of the products. Suspicious, agents attached tracking devices to two of the containers. One timed out in the U.A.E., but the other was later tracked to Iran.

Baghdasarian is charged with exporting without proper U.S. Department of Treasury licenses, conspiring to violate the prohibitions on trade with Iran and with making false statements. If convicted of all charges, he could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.