Diving Company Owner Loses Appeal Over Libya Export Violations

The owner of a Florida-based diving equipment company lost an appeal Wednesday challenging his convictions for circumventing Department of Commerce licensing requirements for exports to Libya.

There was more than enough evidence to show that Peter Sotis knew he would violate the Export Administration Regulations if he shipped rebreather diving equipment—directly or through an intermediary—to Libya without a license, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said.

For national security and anti-terrorism reasons, the Department of Commerce requires a license to ship closed-circuit and semiclosed-circuit rebreathers to Lybia “unless the individual rebreather is intended for personal use and ...