TWO INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH ILLEGAL ARMS TRAFFICKING
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, and John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, announced today that defendants Joseph O’Toole and Chanoch Miller were arrested on a seven-count Indictment charging them with engaging in a conspiracy to export restricted defense articles designated on the United States Munitions List without a license, attempting to export the defense articles without a license, and engaging in brokering activities involving defense articles designated on the United States Munitions List, without first having registered with and obtained a license from, the United States Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. The defendants are also charged with money laundering violations.
The Indictment alleges that beginning on or about April 15, 2010, Joseph O’Toole, 79, of Claremont, California, and Chanoch Miller, 53, of Tel Aviv, Israel, engaged in a conspiracy to send at least 2000 AK-47 Assault Rifles to Somalia, an embargoed country. It was part of the conspiracy to conceal the final destination of the AK-47 Assault Rifles through false flight plans and fraudulent End User Certificates.
If convicted, O’Toole faces a term of up to 55 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a fine of $1,500,000. If convicted, Miller faces a term of up to 75 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a fine of $2,000,000.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in Miami and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Michael Walleisa.
An Indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
