The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed three federal cases targeting the illicit trafficking of Iranian oil to help fund Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Qods Force (IRGC-QF), both of which are recognized as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The unsealed cases span two U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. In the Southern District of New York, seven individuals, including an IRGC leader and officers from a Turkish energy group, are facing charges related to terrorism, sanctions-evasion, fraud, and money laundering. These individuals are accused of trafficking and selling Iranian oil to government-affiliated entities in China, Russia, and Syria to finance the IRGC-QF. The U.S. has seized $108 million as part of this scheme.

In the District of Columbia, a Chinese woman and an Omani man are similarly charged with sanctions-evasion and money laundering. They are accused of trafficking and selling Iranian oil to Chinese government-owned refineries. The District of Columbia also saw the unsealing of a forfeiture complaint for the seizure of illicit Iranian oil, alleging more than 500,000 barrels of Iranian fuel as property that funds the IRGC and IRGC-QF.

These actions are the latest in a series of Justice Department efforts to combat the illegal trafficking of Iranian oil in violation of U.S. law. The Department has been active in seizing oil onboard various tankers transporting illicit Iranian oil and enforcing civil forfeiture processes on the proceeds of the oil sales.