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New York Jewish Times, NY
March 22 2005
U.S. Charges 18 with Alleged Plot to Import and Sell Russian
Shoulder-Fired Missiles, Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers, and
Other Weapons
(FBI) DAVID N. KELLEY, the United States Attorney for the Southern
District of New York, PASQUALE D~RAMURO, the Assistant Director in
Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, and RAYMOND W. KELLY, the
New York City Police Commissioner, announced the unsealing of a
complaint in Manhattan federal court charging 18 individuals with
various weapons trafficking offenses, including a scheme to smuggle
rocket propelled grenade launchers (~SRPGs~T), shoulder-fired
surface-to-air missiles (~SSAMs~T), and other Russian military weapons
into the United States for sale. In addition, the defendants are also
charged with conspiring to traffic in machineguns and other similar
assault weapons, and in fact sold eight such weapons during the
course of the investigation. The arrests are the result of a
year-long investigation that utilized a confidential informant (~SCI~T)
who posed as an arms trafficker selling weapons to terrorists. The
FBI~Rs investigation also included courtauthorized wiretaps on seven
different phones and interceptions of more than 15,000 calls.
Specifically, the 61-page federal complaint unsealed in Manhattan
federal court charges ARTUR SOLOMONYAN, CHRISTIAAN DEWET SPIES, IOSEB
KHARABADZE, JOSEPH COLPANI, and MICHAEL GUY DEMARE with conspiring to
transport destructive devices in interstate and foreign commerce. The
complaint also charges 13 other individuals with weapons trafficking
for their roles in supplying SOLOMONYAN and SPIES with machineguns
and other assault weapons, which were then sold to the CI.
The Complaint alleges that SOLOMONYAN and SPIES, with the help of
KHARABADZE, COLPANI, DEMARE, and other unidentified co-conspirators
were actively preparing to import RPGs, SAMs, anti-tank missile
systems, and other military weapons into the country from Eastern
Europe. The CI, it is alleged, had multiple conversations with
SOLOMONYAN and SPIES over the course of the conspiracy in which the
CI indicated that his clients were terrorists.
According to the Complaint, SOLOMONYAN and SPIES met with the CI on
several occasions in New York City to discuss the details of their
weapons deals, including in-depth discussions of the specifications
and prices of various weapons that the defendants could ship into the
United States. The Complaint alleges that, in June 2004, at a meeting
in New York City, SOLOMONYAN provided the CI with a list of weapons
for sale that included RPGs, stinger missiles, AK-47s, and claymore
mines. The Complaint also details numerous telephone calls between
the defendants discussing the inner workings of their plot to bring
weapons into the country. For example, the Complaint alleges that in
January 2005, SPIES spoke on the phone with COLPANI about providing
the CI with an RPG. According to the Complaint, as recently as late
January 2005, SOLOMONYAN discussed importing 200 RPGs from Armenia
for sale to the CI.
Most recently, in late February 2005, SOLOMONYAN and SPIES provided
the CI with digital photos of military weapons in Armenia that they
proposed to import into the U.S. for sale to the CI. The CI was given
the name of a Russian website, a user name, and a password in order
to access the 17 digital photos of the weapons. These photos, which
FBI forensics has determined were taken in late February 2005,
included such weapons as two SA-7b Strella Surface to Air Heat
Seeking Anti-Aircraft Missiles; a Russian AT-4 Spigot Anti-Tank
Guided Missile and Launcher; a 120 mm mortar launcher; Russian 73 mm
recoilless anti-tank guns; and fully automatic AK-74 and AKS assault
rifles, according to the Complaint.
SOLOMONYAN and SPIES were arrested last night after meeting one last
time with the CI to finalize their plans to travel to Eastern Europe
to arrange the importation of the military weapons. The FBI arrested
them before they could travel outside of the U.S. to obtain the
weapons. The FBI is currently working with Armenian and Russian
authorities to secure the weapons and to arrest the responsible
parties abroad.
According to the Complaint, while SOLOMONYAN and SPIES were actively
arranging the importation of the military weapons from Eastern
Europe, they also sold machineguns and assault weapons to the CI.
Utilizing the services of various weapons traffickers in New York
City, Los Angeles, and Florida, the defendants provided the CI with
eight weapons and conspired to sell the CI many more. As alleged in
the Complaint, each weapon was delivered by the defendants to storage
facilities rented by the FBI on the CI~Rs behalf. On several
occasions, SOLOMONYAN or SPIES was surveilled delivering the weapons
to various storage locations. Of the eight weapons, three were
delivered in New York City, three were delivered in Los Angeles, and
two were delivered in Fort Lauderdale. The weapons sold to the CI
include an SKS fully-automatic assault rifle; a Norinco Model NHM91;
an Israel Military Industries Model A Uzi; an Interdynamic Model KG-
9; a Norinco AK-47; a Norinco MA-90 Sporter; an AK-47 made by GN
Romarm SA/Cugir; and an AK-47, BA 36 0543, Arsenal, as well as two
conversion kits intended to convert both AK-47's into fullyautomatic
machineguns.
SOLOMONYAN, 26, is an Armenian citizen residing in New York and Los
Angeles. SPIES, 33, a South African citizen, resides in New York.
KHARABADZE, 52, is Georgian and resides on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan. They, along with seven other defendants, will be presented
in Manhattan federal court. COLPANI, 53, and DEMARE, 50, both live in
Florida and were arrested there this morning.
Besides SOLOMONYAN, SPIES, COLPANI, and DEMARE, the other defendants
charged with weapons trafficking include: DMITRIY VOROBEYCHIK, 28, of
New York; NIKOLAI NADIRASHVILI, 25, of New York; LEVON SOLOMONYAN,
24, of Los Angeles; ALLAH MCQUEEN, 23, of New York; RAJAB CHAVIS, 25,
of New York; GAREGIN GASPARYAN, 28, of Los Angeles; MICHAEL JIMENEZ,
35, of Los Angeles; SHAWN JONES, 22, of New York; LEVAN CHVELIDZE,
28, of New York; VATO MACHITIDZE, 26, of New York; TIGRAN GEVORGYAN,
21, of Los Angeles; and ARMAND ABRAMIAN, 27, of Los Angeles.
The six individuals arrested in Los Angeles, and the two arrested in
Florida, will be presented in their respective federal courts and
then brought to New York to face the current charges.
As a result of the various charges in the Complaint, SOLOMONYAN and
SPIES each face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. COLPANI and
DEMARE face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and KHARABADZE
faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. The rest of the 13
defendants charged in the Complaint face a maximum penalty of 15
years in prison.
Mr. KELLEY praised the efforts of the FBI and the NYPD for their
handling of this investigation. Mr. KELLEY also expressed his thanks
to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and
Immigration and Customs Enforcement for their assistance in the
investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys BENJAMIN M. LAWSKY and MIRIAM E.
ROCAH are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and
the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an
accusation; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven
guilty.
March 22 2005
U.S. Charges 18 with Alleged Plot to Import and Sell Russian
Shoulder-Fired Missiles, Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers, and
Other Weapons
(FBI) DAVID N. KELLEY, the United States Attorney for the Southern
District of New York, PASQUALE D~RAMURO, the Assistant Director in
Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, and RAYMOND W. KELLY, the
New York City Police Commissioner, announced the unsealing of a
complaint in Manhattan federal court charging 18 individuals with
various weapons trafficking offenses, including a scheme to smuggle
rocket propelled grenade launchers (~SRPGs~T), shoulder-fired
surface-to-air missiles (~SSAMs~T), and other Russian military weapons
into the United States for sale. In addition, the defendants are also
charged with conspiring to traffic in machineguns and other similar
assault weapons, and in fact sold eight such weapons during the
course of the investigation. The arrests are the result of a
year-long investigation that utilized a confidential informant (~SCI~T)
who posed as an arms trafficker selling weapons to terrorists. The
FBI~Rs investigation also included courtauthorized wiretaps on seven
different phones and interceptions of more than 15,000 calls.
Specifically, the 61-page federal complaint unsealed in Manhattan
federal court charges ARTUR SOLOMONYAN, CHRISTIAAN DEWET SPIES, IOSEB
KHARABADZE, JOSEPH COLPANI, and MICHAEL GUY DEMARE with conspiring to
transport destructive devices in interstate and foreign commerce. The
complaint also charges 13 other individuals with weapons trafficking
for their roles in supplying SOLOMONYAN and SPIES with machineguns
and other assault weapons, which were then sold to the CI.
The Complaint alleges that SOLOMONYAN and SPIES, with the help of
KHARABADZE, COLPANI, DEMARE, and other unidentified co-conspirators
were actively preparing to import RPGs, SAMs, anti-tank missile
systems, and other military weapons into the country from Eastern
Europe. The CI, it is alleged, had multiple conversations with
SOLOMONYAN and SPIES over the course of the conspiracy in which the
CI indicated that his clients were terrorists.
According to the Complaint, SOLOMONYAN and SPIES met with the CI on
several occasions in New York City to discuss the details of their
weapons deals, including in-depth discussions of the specifications
and prices of various weapons that the defendants could ship into the
United States. The Complaint alleges that, in June 2004, at a meeting
in New York City, SOLOMONYAN provided the CI with a list of weapons
for sale that included RPGs, stinger missiles, AK-47s, and claymore
mines. The Complaint also details numerous telephone calls between
the defendants discussing the inner workings of their plot to bring
weapons into the country. For example, the Complaint alleges that in
January 2005, SPIES spoke on the phone with COLPANI about providing
the CI with an RPG. According to the Complaint, as recently as late
January 2005, SOLOMONYAN discussed importing 200 RPGs from Armenia
for sale to the CI.
Most recently, in late February 2005, SOLOMONYAN and SPIES provided
the CI with digital photos of military weapons in Armenia that they
proposed to import into the U.S. for sale to the CI. The CI was given
the name of a Russian website, a user name, and a password in order
to access the 17 digital photos of the weapons. These photos, which
FBI forensics has determined were taken in late February 2005,
included such weapons as two SA-7b Strella Surface to Air Heat
Seeking Anti-Aircraft Missiles; a Russian AT-4 Spigot Anti-Tank
Guided Missile and Launcher; a 120 mm mortar launcher; Russian 73 mm
recoilless anti-tank guns; and fully automatic AK-74 and AKS assault
rifles, according to the Complaint.
SOLOMONYAN and SPIES were arrested last night after meeting one last
time with the CI to finalize their plans to travel to Eastern Europe
to arrange the importation of the military weapons. The FBI arrested
them before they could travel outside of the U.S. to obtain the
weapons. The FBI is currently working with Armenian and Russian
authorities to secure the weapons and to arrest the responsible
parties abroad.
According to the Complaint, while SOLOMONYAN and SPIES were actively
arranging the importation of the military weapons from Eastern
Europe, they also sold machineguns and assault weapons to the CI.
Utilizing the services of various weapons traffickers in New York
City, Los Angeles, and Florida, the defendants provided the CI with
eight weapons and conspired to sell the CI many more. As alleged in
the Complaint, each weapon was delivered by the defendants to storage
facilities rented by the FBI on the CI~Rs behalf. On several
occasions, SOLOMONYAN or SPIES was surveilled delivering the weapons
to various storage locations. Of the eight weapons, three were
delivered in New York City, three were delivered in Los Angeles, and
two were delivered in Fort Lauderdale. The weapons sold to the CI
include an SKS fully-automatic assault rifle; a Norinco Model NHM91;
an Israel Military Industries Model A Uzi; an Interdynamic Model KG-
9; a Norinco AK-47; a Norinco MA-90 Sporter; an AK-47 made by GN
Romarm SA/Cugir; and an AK-47, BA 36 0543, Arsenal, as well as two
conversion kits intended to convert both AK-47's into fullyautomatic
machineguns.
SOLOMONYAN, 26, is an Armenian citizen residing in New York and Los
Angeles. SPIES, 33, a South African citizen, resides in New York.
KHARABADZE, 52, is Georgian and resides on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan. They, along with seven other defendants, will be presented
in Manhattan federal court. COLPANI, 53, and DEMARE, 50, both live in
Florida and were arrested there this morning.
Besides SOLOMONYAN, SPIES, COLPANI, and DEMARE, the other defendants
charged with weapons trafficking include: DMITRIY VOROBEYCHIK, 28, of
New York; NIKOLAI NADIRASHVILI, 25, of New York; LEVON SOLOMONYAN,
24, of Los Angeles; ALLAH MCQUEEN, 23, of New York; RAJAB CHAVIS, 25,
of New York; GAREGIN GASPARYAN, 28, of Los Angeles; MICHAEL JIMENEZ,
35, of Los Angeles; SHAWN JONES, 22, of New York; LEVAN CHVELIDZE,
28, of New York; VATO MACHITIDZE, 26, of New York; TIGRAN GEVORGYAN,
21, of Los Angeles; and ARMAND ABRAMIAN, 27, of Los Angeles.
The six individuals arrested in Los Angeles, and the two arrested in
Florida, will be presented in their respective federal courts and
then brought to New York to face the current charges.
As a result of the various charges in the Complaint, SOLOMONYAN and
SPIES each face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. COLPANI and
DEMARE face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and KHARABADZE
faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison. The rest of the 13
defendants charged in the Complaint face a maximum penalty of 15
years in prison.
Mr. KELLEY praised the efforts of the FBI and the NYPD for their
handling of this investigation. Mr. KELLEY also expressed his thanks
to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and
Immigration and Customs Enforcement for their assistance in the
investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys BENJAMIN M. LAWSKY and MIRIAM E.
ROCAH are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and
the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an
accusation; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven
guilty.