News Releases and Statements

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Kamran Ashfaq Malik, 35, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland Monday to two years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for unlawfully exporting semi-automatic rifles, parts and accessories to Pakistan.

Alexander Brazhnikov Jr., 36, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Moscow, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of conspiracy to smuggle electronics from the United States, and one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Ali Afif Al Herz, 50, Bassem Herz, 30, Sarah Zeaiter, 24, and Adam Ben Ali Al Herz, 22, all related to each other, and all from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have each been charged with conspiracy to illegally ship a container or package containing numerous firearms and ammunition to the Middle East without notice to the shipper.

Yong Guo, 45, a Chinese national illegally in the U.S., pleaded guilty in February to the scheme uncovered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Sam Rafic Ghanem, age 45, is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon. He owned and operated Washington Movers International, also known as Washington Movers Inc., a freight forwarding business located in District Heights.

Abelardo Delmundo, 53, of Toms River, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and U.S. anti-smuggling laws.

Akbar Ahmad Sherzai, 50, of Centerville, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Sherzai offered to bribe a U.S. Army serviceman to falsify documents to reflect the successful delivery of fuel shipments that Army records indicate were never delivered.

Mehmet Karatokus, 39, of Ankara, Turkey, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

Bernardo Guzman, 27, of Jersey City pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms while being a previously convicted felon.

Egyptian citizens Malak Neseem Swares Boulos, 43, and Amged Kamel Yonan Tawdraus, 33, the leaders of AMA United Group, an Egyptian procurement agent, entered a guilty plea to violating the Arms Export Control Act. Boulos and Tawdraus admitted to failing to file required export information relating to the international shipment of a landmine and multiple bomb bodies.

Former New York City Police Officer Rex Maralit, 46, and his brother Wilfredo Maralit, 49, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer assigned to Los Angeles International Airport, pleaded guilty June 12, 2014, for their roles in an illegal scheme to smuggle high-powered assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, and firearms accessories from the United States to the Philippines, violating the Arms Export Control Act. A third brother, Ariel Maralit, resides in the Philippines and remains a fugitive.

Pavel Semenovich Flider, 65, of San Rafael, and his company, Trident International Corporation, LLC, were indicted by a federal grand jury March 5 for smuggling goods; conspiracy to commit international money laundering; and money laundering. The case is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the FBI.

Hsien Tai Tsai, aka Alex Tsai, pleaded guilty in October 2014, admitting that he conspired with others to interfere with and obstruct U.S. regulations that seek to disrupt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Tsai, 69, was arrested in May 2013 in Tallinn, Estonia, and was later extradited to the United States, where he remains in federal custody.

Vibgyor Optical Systems Inc., a company located in Arlington Heights, Illinois, purported to manufacture optics and optical systems, including items that were to be supplied to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Instead of manufacturing the items domestically, as it claimed, Vibgyor illegally sent the technical data for, and samples of, the military articles to manufacturers in China. The company then imported the items from China to sell to its customers, including DoD prime contractors.

Jesse William Korff, 19, of LaBelle, Florida, pleaded guilty on August 12, 2014, to five counts of developing, producing, transferring and possessing toxins, five counts of smuggling toxins and one count of conspiring to kill a person in a foreign country. Federal agents arrested Korff on January 18, 2014, in Florida.

Wentong Cai, 30, pleaded guilty to count three of a superseding indictment charging him and his cousin, Bo Cai, 29, also a Chinese national, with a scheme to illegally export sensors to China. These sensors are primarily manufactured for sale to the U.S. Department of Defense for use in high-level applications, such as line-of-sight stabilization and precision motion control systems.

See Kee Chin, aka Alfred Chin, 56, of Hong Kong, was arrested in February after he handed over an $85,000 payment to undercover HSI special agents and attempted to pick up 10 accelerometers. Court records state Chin had indicated he planned to smuggle the parts out of the country in his suitcase. He previously discussed hiding the items in children’s toys.

Former U.S. Army Sergeant Dexroy Germaine Hamilton, 31, was sentenced Oct. 31.

Martin Lopez-Villela, 51, a U.S. permanent resident residing in Dallas, Texas, was sentenced Oct. 27 by U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana to 30 months in federal prison. As a convicted felon, he is expected to face deportation proceedings after he’s released from federal prison.

Hsien Tai Tsai, aka Alex Tsai, admitted that he engaged in illegal business transactions involving the export of U.S. origin goods and machinery. Tsai, 69, was arrested in May 2013 in Tallinn, Estonia, and was later extradited to the United States, where he remains in federal custody.

Dmitry Ustinov, 53, of Moscow, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In July, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to export the high-tech military technology, in violation of federal law.

Alper Calik, 38, of Ankara, Turkey, was arrested upon his entry into the United States Sept. 13 and charged with two counts of mail fraud for submitting fraudulent contracts to the DoD claiming to produce items in the United States that were actually manufactured in Turkey. Calik also faces one count of violating the Arms Export Control Act for downloading thousands of military technical drawings while outside the United States without prior approval from the U.S. Department of State.

Cassandra Camacho, 25, of Mission, Texas; and Juan Ivan Rodriguez, 34, and Nestor Leal-Cedillo, 24, of Reynoso, Mexico, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez. Camacho was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison; Rodriguez and Leal-Cedillo received respective sentences of 37 and 60 months. All three had pleaded guilty to the charges; Leal-Cedillo pleaded guilty June 12, and Camacho and Rodriguez July 1.

Harold Rinko, 72, of Hallstead, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally export laboratory equipment, including items used to detect chemical warfare agents, from the United States to Syria, in violation of federal law.

Erik Perez-Bazan, 27, from Hidalgo, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez to 75 months in prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.