In news that will surprise nobody, Dennis Rodman‘s celebration of Kim Jong Un‘s birthday was not the greatest idea.
The federal government is looking into whether Rodman violated U.S. sanctions on North Korea by bringing Kim luxury gifts worth thousands of dollars during his trip earlier this month for the leader’s birthday, a Treasury Department official confirmed to The Daily Beast.
The gifts reportedly included hundreds of dollars in Jameson Irish Whiskey, as well as “European crystal, an Italian suit for him, and Italian clothing, a fur coat, and an English Mulberry handbag for” Kim’s wife, according to the Weekly Standard.
You might also like: Dennis Rodman’s gonna party like it’s Kim Jong Un’s birthday
This may have been a violation of a United Nations Security Council Resolutions adopted in 2013, the Daily Beast reports, as well as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, signed by President Obama in 2010, which makes in unlawful for any one “to have, directly or indirectly, imported, exported, or reexported luxury goods to or into North Korea.”
Rodman, who checked himself into rehab upon his return from the trip, had already made some media waves before his departure. When responding to questions about Kim Jong Un’s human rights violations, he told reporters: “I’m not gonna sit there and go over and say, ‘Hey, guy, you’re doing the wrong that.’ That’s not the right thing to do. He’s my friend first. He’s my friend. I don’t give a shit. I tell the world: he’s my f*cking friend, I love him.”
If found guilty, Rodman could face civil penalties of up to a $250,000 fine or twice the value of the goods themselves. If he’s convicted of criminal charges, Rodman could face up to a $1 million fine and up to 20 years in prison.
You might also like: What’s keeping ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Sandra Oh from working in Korea? Plastic surgery
Watch Arirang TV, an international English-language station broadcasting from Seoul, on FilmOn:
Follow TV Mix on Twitter: @tvmixusa
Contact TV Mix: editors@tvmix.com
SOURCE: TVMix.com
