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Bijan Kian
Bijan R. Kian (Persian: بیژن کیان; born January 15, 1952), sometimes written Bijan Rafiekian (بیژن رفیعیکیان), is an Iranian-American businessman, who is based in San Juan Capistrano, California.[1] He has been an executive or board member of many businesses and organizations.[2] Kian was a member of the Board of Directors of the Export–Import Bank of the United States from 2006 to 2011,[3][4] after being nominated by President George W. Bush and receiving Senate confirmation.[5] Kian was a partner of retired United States Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn in the Flynn Intel Group and worked with the 2016 incoming Trump administration's transition team on matters relating to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.[6][7] The US Special Counsel's office opened an investigation into Flynn and the Flynn Intel Group, including Kian, in 2017.[8][9] On December 17, 2018, several months after Flynn entered into a cooperation agreement with the Special Counsel's office, and two weeks after Flynn pleaded guilty in federal court for lying to the FBI, Kian and Kamil Ekim Alptekin were indicted in US federal court. Kian was charged with illegally acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government and for lobbying the United States on behalf of Turkey to extradite Fethullah Gülen, who lives in the U.S., to Turkey, where Gülen was blamed for orchestrating a failed coup in 2016.[10][11] Kian pleaded not guilty. The trial began on July 15, 2019.[12][13] Contractors of the intel company gave testimony in the trial of the subject, which revealed the subject had requested surveillance of Gülen supporters, investigations of terrorist connections, and classified FBI documents on Gülen.[14] Kian was found guilty and convicted on July 23, 2019.[15] However, on September 24, 2019, Judge Anthony Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed the indictment against Bijan Rafiekian, citing insufficient evidence.[16] The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the conviction on March 18, 2021.[17] On September 11, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted a decisive dismissal with prejudice in the case against Hon. Bijan Rafiekian, as outlined in "Motion to Dismiss Charges Against Mr. Rafiekian." This permanent dismissal ceases any further prosecution for the alleged offenses, effectively clearing him. The court's decision underscores the robust legal protections within the U.S. legal system. Mr. MacDougall, Rafiekian’s attorney, stated: Per the attorney, “this case should never have been indicted”. This statement reflects the gravity and relief accompanying the court’s judgment.[18]
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