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SALT LAKE CITY — A United Arab Emirates man identified and investigated by an undercover agent in Salt Lake City has been indicted for allegedly attempting to export sniper rifles from the U.S. to Belarus.
Kolar Rahman Anees Ur Rahman is accused of attempting to buy 89 Sako .308-caliber rifles and ship them to Belarus, an Eastern European country under an arms embargo from the United States.
Rahman was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, violating the Arms Export Control Act, smuggling goods from the U.S. and money laundering.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations first learned of the alleged smuggling plot in November 2013 when an associate of Rahman reached out to a Salt Lake firearm manufacturer, asking to purchase the guns for export to Belarus. The company informed the emailer the order was impossible under federal law and contacted authorities.
An undercover agent from Homeland Security Investigations reached out by email to the individual, who again expressed a desire to buy the guns. Negotiations continued until May 2015 but didn't result in a sale until the individual introduced the agent to Rahman.
Aware of the embargo, Rahman then negotiated with the agent to purchase 89 sniper rifles, arranging to purchase the first 10 and ammunition for them for approximately $66,285, according to the indictment.
The agent received Rahman's down payment of $13,257 in September, agreeing to pay the balance once the rifles arrived in Belarus, the indictment states.
Rahman met with the agent at a hotel near Chicago on Nov. 4, identifying himself and confirming he understood the risk of illegally buying and shipping the guns to Belarus, according to the indictment. The two then discussed Rahman's interest in purchasing more sniper rifles in the future.
Rahman was arrested later that day and is awaiting extradition to Utah. An initial appearance in the case will be scheduled when he arrives. If convicted, he faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for violation of the Arms Export Control Act, 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for money laundering, and 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for smuggling.
