Overview
- Manfred Gruber pleaded guilty to moving $540,000 of U.S.-made military-type ammunition through Kyrgyzstan to Russia and remains held in the Brooklyn federal jail.
- Prosecutors say he used several companies to hide a re-export route through Kyrgyzstan, a tactic that violates U.S. controls on sending U.S.-origin arms to Russia.
- He was arrested in October while traveling to an industry trade fair in Washington.
- The FBI says the shipments helped Russia’s assault on Ukraine and warns that export-control violators face severe consequences.
- A Kyrgyz business partner in the same scheme was convicted in January and received a 39-month prison sentence.