Chicago Federal prosecutors said Thursday that a man from a Chicago suburb was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for violating U.S. export-control regulations by illegally shipping weapon parts to Israel.
Three times in 2022, 37-year-old Amin Betuni transferred firearm parts to people in Israel, including bolt carrier groups, gas blocks, and rifle barrels. Prosecutors claimed that he put fraudulent information on shipping labels and camouflaged the shipments by passing them off as kitchen appliances, such as George Foreman grills, or car parts.
The gun parts were on the US Commerce Control List, which means that exporting them required a license or written consent from the Department of Commerce. For the shipments, Betuni lacked the required authorization.
Over 1,200 rounds of ammunition, many rifles, extra firearm parts, and three unlawful firearm conversion devices—known as Glock switches—that allow firearms to fire multiple rounds with a single trigger pull were found during a search of Betuni’s home in Palos Hills, Illinois, in December 2022.
Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, stated that this case highlights the vital significance of solid law enforcement collaborations. Together, we can successfully look into and bring charges against individuals who jeopardize public safety.
International security is seriously threatened by export-control infractions, according to federal officials.
Earlier this year, Betuni entered a guilty plea to charges of willfully and fraudulently exporting illegal weapon parts. In a Chicago courtroom, U.S. District Judge John F. Kness handed down the punishment.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations were among the law enforcement organizations that worked together on the investigation.
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