Maine resident sentenced after conviction in ICE HSI, multiagency firearms trafficking probe
BANGOR, Maine — A Maine resident was sentenced April 5 to two years in prison and three years of supervised release in U.S. District Court for illegally receiving and shipping firearms, following a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) offices in Bangor and Portland, Department of Commerce, and Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Iulian Petre aka “Julian Petre,” 51, of Waterville, Maine, was sentenced following an August 2017 jury trial conviction on nine federal criminal charges including six counts of Receipt of a Firearm in Interstate Commerce and three counts of Shipment of a Firearm in Foreign Commerce. Petre, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Romania, purchased and received firearms from out-of-state sellers intending to unlawfully export them.
“The seamless coordination among state and federal law enforcement partners in this complex, alarming case is testament to HSI’s effectiveness in helping keep Americans safe from the threat of transnational criminal activity both at home and abroad,” said Michael Shea, acting special agent in charge, HSI Boston.
Following notifications from the Department of State and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, HSI offices in Bangor and Portland, played a critical role in developing evidence that showed Petre purchased and received firearms from out-of-state sellers and exported no less than 12 firearms to individuals in Romania without required authorization from the U.S. Department of State.
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