New charges for Sotis (Add helium)and Emilie Voissem (Nexus Underwater)

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't rebreathers and/or scooters an ITAR item? If so, that's where all of this went to hell for Peter.
 
johndiver999:
The guy was selling dive gear, not a weapon. Gasoline or pesticide or a million other products that have legitimate (non-violent) uses could be used in a terrorist plot. Did we go after the flight school in Vero Bch that trained the Saudi's to fly airplanes?

It sounds like the details of the transaction are critical, rather than the fact that the equipment eventually got to a place it was not supposed to go.

I guess a knowledge of the source of the funds would be critical in proving he was intent on circumventing laws?
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I see your point; however, if the flight school knew what those pricks were going to do and trained them anyway they would be complicit and culpable. From one of the other Sotis threads, IIRC, it was revealed by his ex partner who sued him he was told don't do it by authorities and did so anyway.
 
Like a lot of people I got sucked in by the RebreatherWorld hype and in 2016 believed that AddHelium was THE place to do any CC training.
The training was crap (although I didn't realize just how crap at the time!) and a number of conversations/meetings I had with Sotis gave me the impression he was something of a megalomaniac.
A shame for the staff he had working for him, some of them were genuine diving enthusiasts and nice people.
 
Superlyte27:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't rebreathers and/or scooters an ITAR item? If so, that's where all of this went to hell for Peter.
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Yes, they definitely are. I recall there being news of addhelium getting notified that he couldn't sell rebreathers to terrorists, then he publicly went about doing it anyway. He did get warned up front and ignored the warning. Unless maybe I just dreamed that up, but I'm certain it was discussed ad nauseam on SB in the past.

As for Emilie...Several others on SB called that situation accurately the moment she took over for AH. If armchair quarterbacks on the internet could have nailed it instantly, she should have as well. Maybe sotis is one of those extremely charismatic guys that can convince people to do whatever he wants (charles manson, ian watkins, etc)?
 
johndiver999:
The guy was selling dive gear, not a weapon. Gasoline or pesticide or a million other products that have legitimate (non-violent) uses could be used in a terrorist plot. Did we go after the flight school in Vero Bch that trained the Saudi's to fly airplanes?

It sounds like the details of the transaction are critical, rather than the fact that the equipment eventually got to a place it was not supposed to go.

I guess a knowledge of the source of the funds would be critical in proving he was intent on circumventing laws?
Click to expand...
It is not just "weapons" that are restricted. A company I once worked for in a former life had to produce 2 different releases of software: 1 with encrypted communications and 1 without...
Export of cryptography from the United States - Wikipedia
 
Bobby:
Yes, I've spoken to him multiple times. He badgered me, multiple times, to become a dealer. When it is too good to be true, and you care about your reputation (In My Humble Opinion) you run the other way. YRMV.
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Yes. We let him (his employee you and I know and like) sponsor a couple of dive trips. We were paid up front. The last trip we ran was “sketchy”.
 
Spree Expeditions has an ITAR permit to export rebreathers to Cuba. It was included in the boat permit. It is do-able, but not easy.
 
I knew sotis's arrest was coming back when I heard he still went threw with the RB deal, but alas he didn't make good decision's some time , all the other people caught up with him is sad ,so many lives ruined ....... I wonder bout his wife's security clearances now (I believe is is /was an army officer )
 
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