Probation, fine for company that sent machine to Iran

SALINE, Mich. (AP) - A company in Washtenaw County has been placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay $200,000 for selling industrial equipment to a company in Iran. Mectron's attorney had warned the company that it was illegal to sell equipment to Iran without an export license. Mectron didn't get one before selling a parts inspection machine in 2010 for $47,500. The Saline-based company pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced Wednesday. In a court filing, federal prosecutor Lynn Helland says U.S. companies generally can't trade with Iranian companies, although some restrictions ended under a recent agreement related to Iran's nuclear weapons program. Published: Mon, Nov 14, 2016