Indonesian Convicted of Trying to Export Rifle Scopes to Indonesia
The Associated Press reports that a federal jury in Madison, Wisconsin today convicted an Indonesian national of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act for attempting to export rifles scopes to Indonesia without the proper State Department licenses. The article states that the defendant attempted to export 100 Leupold Mark 4 Close Quarter/Tactical (CQ/T) that are "designed to attach to M-16 and AR-15 assault rifles".
According to the manufacturer's website:
The CQ/T riflescope, parts, and accessories fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of State. Unless required State Department license is obtained, this product is for sale in the U.S.A. only.The article indicates that the defendant "offered investigators various explanations" for trying to export the rifle scopes to Indonesia, including that "he wanted the scopes to hunt boars, then said he needed them for a rifle competition in Indonesia, then said it was all a misunderstanding and a joke. " The article states that "text messages investigators recovered indicate coconspirators in Indonesia planned to sell the scopes to police."
The article also notes that the defendant is scheduled to be sentenced July 28 and that Indonesian authorities are still searching for the coconspirators.
The criminal penalties for violating the Arms Export Control Act include a fine of not more than $1,000,000, imprisonment of up to ten years, or both.
Labels: ITAR
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
