Manfred Gruber, Ammunition Exporting, Pennsylvania 2026

Manfred Gruber, 58, of Italy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export control violations in a proceeding before United States Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl for the Eastern District of New York.

Gruber’s crimes began when he, along with his co-conspirator Sergei Zharnovnikov, illegally exported American-made ammunition worth over $540,000 from the United States to Kyrgyzstan. This ammunition was then reexported to Russia.

The guilty plea comes just months after Sergei Zharnovnikov, a Kyrgyzstan-based co-conspirator, was sentenced to 39 months in prison for violating the Export Control Reform Act in January 2026.

The investigation into Gruber’s activities was led by the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Export Control and Re-Export Brokering Services (EXBS) program, which works to prevent the proliferation of weapons and other sensitive technologies.

Gruber’s crimes highlight the ongoing issue of arms smuggling and the ease with which sensitive technologies can be exported and reexported without proper oversight.

The case against Gruber is a stark reminder that the consequences of violating export controls are severe. As the world grapples with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the smuggling of arms and ammunition to Russia serves as a stark reminder of the need for stricter regulations and enforcement.

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Manfred Gruber, Ammunition Exportation, Pennsylvania 2026

Mar 30, 2026