Russian arms dealer given 25 years in big terrorism case
Source: Agencies |
April 7, 2012, Saturday
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THE notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed the Merchant of Death, has been sentenced in New York to 25 years in prison after his conviction on terrorism charges that grew from a US sting operation.
The former Soviet officer was sentenced on Thursday in a federal court in Manhattan, where he was also ordered to forfeit US$15 million.
Russia's Foreign Ministry, which has called Bout's arrest illegal, called the sentence "unfounded" and pledged to seek his return home.
Bout was arrested four years ago in Thailand after he met US Drug Enforcement Administration operatives posing as agents of a Colombian terrorism group. He was extradited to the US in 2010.
Prosecutors portrayed Bout as among the world's worst villains. They say the 45-year-old was ready to sell up to US$20 million in weapons including surface-to-air missiles to shoot down US helicopters.
Bout has insisted he's a legitimate businessman. On Thursday, he made it clear he had heard enough in court when a federal prosecutor was only two minutes into an argument urging a harsh sentence.
"It's a lie!" Bout blurted out in English - a rare show of raw defiance for a defendant facing a possible life term.
Despite his outburst and insistence that he was framed, Bout received only the mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison.
The way federal agents went about capturing Bout - an elaborate sting that lured him to Thailand - appeared to play in his favor.
"But for the approach made through this determined sting operation, there is no reason to believe Bout would ever have committed the charged crimes," said US District Judge Shira Scheindlin.
For nearly two decades, Bout built a worldwide air cargo operation, amassing a fleet of more than 60 transport planes, hundreds of companies and a fortune reportedly in excess of US$6 billion - exploits that were the main inspiration for the Nicholas Cage film "Lord of War."
His aircraft flew from Afghanistan to Angola, carrying everything from raw minerals to gladiolas, drilling equipment to frozen fish. But authorities said the network's specialty was black market arms - assault rifles, ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, helicopter gunships and a full range of sophisticated weapons systems, almost always sourced from Russian stocks or from Eastern European factories.
In the months before the September 11, 2001, attacks, authorities suspected Bout's planes and other operations were aiding the Taliban while it sheltered al-Qaida militants in Afghanistan.
The former Soviet officer was sentenced on Thursday in a federal court in Manhattan, where he was also ordered to forfeit US$15 million.
Russia's Foreign Ministry, which has called Bout's arrest illegal, called the sentence "unfounded" and pledged to seek his return home.
Bout was arrested four years ago in Thailand after he met US Drug Enforcement Administration operatives posing as agents of a Colombian terrorism group. He was extradited to the US in 2010.
Prosecutors portrayed Bout as among the world's worst villains. They say the 45-year-old was ready to sell up to US$20 million in weapons including surface-to-air missiles to shoot down US helicopters.
Bout has insisted he's a legitimate businessman. On Thursday, he made it clear he had heard enough in court when a federal prosecutor was only two minutes into an argument urging a harsh sentence.
"It's a lie!" Bout blurted out in English - a rare show of raw defiance for a defendant facing a possible life term.
Despite his outburst and insistence that he was framed, Bout received only the mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison.
The way federal agents went about capturing Bout - an elaborate sting that lured him to Thailand - appeared to play in his favor.
"But for the approach made through this determined sting operation, there is no reason to believe Bout would ever have committed the charged crimes," said US District Judge Shira Scheindlin.
For nearly two decades, Bout built a worldwide air cargo operation, amassing a fleet of more than 60 transport planes, hundreds of companies and a fortune reportedly in excess of US$6 billion - exploits that were the main inspiration for the Nicholas Cage film "Lord of War."
His aircraft flew from Afghanistan to Angola, carrying everything from raw minerals to gladiolas, drilling equipment to frozen fish. But authorities said the network's specialty was black market arms - assault rifles, ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, helicopter gunships and a full range of sophisticated weapons systems, almost always sourced from Russian stocks or from Eastern European factories.
In the months before the September 11, 2001, attacks, authorities suspected Bout's planes and other operations were aiding the Taliban while it sheltered al-Qaida militants in Afghanistan.
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