The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of

Pennsylvania announced Friday the unsealing of an indictment charging Ross Roggio, 49, of

Stroudsburg, and Roggio Consulting Company LLC, for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to illegally export firearm parts to Iraq.

Items include firearm manufacturing tools, and “defense services,” including items used to

manufacture M4 rifles, from the United States to Iraq, in violation of the Arms Export Control

Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The indictment charges Ross Roggio and

Roggio Consulting Company LLC with criminal conspiracy, illegal export of goods, wire fraud,

and money laundering.

A license is

required to export certain goods and services from the United States to Iraq for reasons of

regional stability and national security. Similarly, defense services and defense articles may not

be exported to Iraq without a license from the U.S. Department of State.

The indictment alleges that, beginning in January of 2013,

Ross Roggio conspired to export both items and services from the United States to Iraq, without

the required U.S. Commerce Department and U.S. State Department licenses. The conspirators

allegedly purchased firearms parts and manufacturing tools from the United States, illegally

exported the items to Iraq where the items were utilized and incorporated in the manufacture and

assembly of complete firearms in a firearms manufacturing plant constructed and operated in

part by Ross Roggio.

The items illegally exported included: M4 Bolt Gas Rings

MIL; Firing Pin Retainers; Rifling Combo Buttons, and “defense services.” The defense

services allegedly provided by Ross Roggio and his firm include the furnishing of assistance to

foreign persons in the manufacture of firearms.

In addition to the charges relating to export controls violations, the indictment also

says that Roggio and his firm committed wire fraud on at least three occasions by

purchasing items from a United States company and providing said company with false

information about the end-user of the items. Finally, the indictment charges Ross Roggio and his firm with 27 counts of money laundering in the form of bank transfers from Iraq to two accounts

within the Middle District of Pennsylvania, in furtherance of their unlawful export conspiracy.

“The conduct alleged in this indictment directly violates laws enacted to keep our nation

secure,” said United States Attorney David J. Freed. “We commend the FBI, HSI and Department of

Commerce for their outstanding efforts in this complicated international case. We will not allow

anyone to put profits above our security, at home or abroad.”

“The Office of Export Enforcement vigorously pursues violators of our nation’s export

control laws, which are in place to further and protect our national security and foreign policy.

As in this instance, we work closely with our colleagues at the FBI and HSI and other agencies

in prosecuting this case,” said Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of

Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field

Office.

“U.S. export controls are in place to keep our nation’s most sensitive military and defense

technologies from falling into the wrong hands,” said Marlon V. Miller, special agent in charge

of HSI Philadelphia. “One of HSI’s highest priorities is to prevent the illicit procurement and

proliferation of export-controlled military and defense commodities in violation of United States

law.”

“As alleged, this defendant brazenly flouted U.S. arms export controls enacted in the

interests of our national security, and international stability,” said Michael Harpster, Special

Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “It suggests an all too familiar attitude: in

the face of an illegal, but very lucrative, plan — laws be damned.”

The combined maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is 705 years of

imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.