VIRGINIA
A Syrian born naturalized U.S. citizen is facing up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in May for violating sanctions imposed on Syria, according to officials.
Amin al-Baroudi, 50, formerly of Irvine, California, plead guilty last week to charges of conspiring to export U.S.-origin goods such as sniper rifle scopes that were earmarked for terrorist groups from the United States to Syria
In a plea agreement, Baroudi admitted that from December 2011 through March 2013, he and his co-conspirators exported U.S. tactical equipment to Syria for the purpose of supplying and arming Ahrar al-Sham and other insurgent groups in Syria whose stated goal is to overthrow the Assad government and install an Islamic state.
Ahrar al-Sham frequently fights alongside Jabhat al-Nusrah, which has been designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization and operates as al-Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, officials said.
Court documents indicate that Baroudi and his co-conspirators purchased tens of thousands of dollars of goods from companies and vendors in the United States, consisting largely of tactical equipment such as sniper rifle scopes, night vision rifle scopes, night vision goggles, laser bore sighters, speed loaders and bullet proof vests.
Baroudi and his co-conspirators traveled with the goods aboard commercial flights to Turkey and then transported the goods into Syria or provided them to others for transport.
Baroudi made two such trips in February and March of 2013.
Baroudi was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 9, 2015. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when sentenced on May 6, 2016.