Florida man admits to conspiring to sell firearms purported to belong to the family of Saddam Hussein

NEWARK, N.J. — A Florida man admitted on Wednesday to his role in conspiring to sell seven firearms believed to have been stolen and smuggled out of Iraq after once belonging to the family of Saddam Hussein. The guilty plea follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

David Philip Ryan, 50, of Miami pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to transport stolen firearms.

According to court documents, in April 2012, law enforcement received information that valuable firearms allegedly belonging to members of the family of the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein were available for sale. The weapons were believed to be kept in Florida. Ryan and others attempted to find a buyer for them in New Jersey. The firearms had been appraised at $250,000 to $350,000. Seven firearms were shipped to New Jersey for viewing by potential buyers.

HSI and ATF agents subsequently seized the following firearms in the course of the investigation:

• One Coonan Arms Inc., .357 semi-automatic pistol, nickel finish, made in St. Paul, Minn., with gold inlay and a medallion “QS” on left side grip (believed to be the initials of Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti, the second son of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein);
• One Korth, .357 magnum revolver (six shot) stamped “Made in W. Germany Waffenfabrik Koth Ratzeburg/LBG,” with gold inlay, black finish, wood grips, which displays a drawing of a wild boar;
• One Korth, .357 magnum, revolver (six shot) stamped “Made in W. Germany Waffenfabrik Koth Ratzeburg/LBG,” with gold inlay, black finish, wood grips, which displays a drawing of a moose;
• One Chinese State Factories type 64 pistol, .32 caliber semi-auto pistol, black finish, with Yemen flag icon on both sides of grip and Arabic writing on the slide;
• Two Cosmi, 12 gauge shotguns, break top, single barrel;
• One Llama Semiautomatic .45 ACP pistol with gold leaf and gold inlays, hand engraved, bearing the initials “Q.S.”

The charge to which Ryan pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for June 22, 2015.