Amin Betuni, 37, of Palos Hills, Ill., was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for illegally sending gun parts to Israel on at least three occasions in 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice stated on Friday.
Betuni accepted a plea deal in August in which he admitted to using false shipping labels and sending the weapon parts to Israel hidden among car parts and George Foreman grills.
The parts, which included rifle barrels, gas blocks for rifles and bolt carrier groups, were on the U.S. Commerce Control List and subject to federal export regulations, according to the Justice Department. The weapon transfers would have required a license or written approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“Export-control violations are critically important because they undermine federal laws and regulations that seek to protect international security,” stated Morris Pasqual, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
Aaron Tambrini, special agent in charge of the Chicago field office of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, said this case “sends a strong message to those that violate export controls.”
“This multi-agency investigation demonstrates the commitment by law enforcement to intercept firearms hidden in small appliances to thwart the illegal trade of firearms around the globe,” he added.
