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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday - March 22, 2006

FORMER STATE SENATOR JOHN H. CARRINGTON SENTENCED

NEW BERN - United States Attorney Frank D. Whitney announced the sentencing of former state senator JOHN H. CARRINGTON, 71, of Raleigh after a guilty plea to a felony violation of the Export Administration Act on December 14, 2005. CARRINGTON, former President and CEO, and currently the primary shareholder of SIRCHIE FINGERPRINT LABS, INC., a closely held corporation located in Youngsville, North Carolina was sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay a fine of $850,000.00. CARRINGTON will have his export privileges suspended for a period of five years. Pursuant to a parallel civil settlement with the U. S. Department of Commerce, SIRCHIE, INC., the corporation has paid an additional $400,000 penalty. SIRCHIE, INC. has also accepted a suspended denial of export privileges for a period of five years.

CARRINGTON pled guilty to willfully circumventing export regulations forbidding the exportation of crime control equipment and supplies to the People’s Republic of China by exporting equipment and supplies valued in excess of 1.2 million dollars.

The United States has collected 1.25 million dollars in fines and penalties as a result of the export violations. Investigation of the case was conducted by the U. S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement and the U. S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U. S. Attorneys James A. Candelmo and John S. Bowler prosecuted the case for the United States.

News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.