CLEVELAND – A shocking case of international gun smuggling has come to light in Ohio, with a Wisconsin man at the center of a six-count indictment.
Mark John Buschman, 60, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, has been accused of selling firearms and related parts without a license to buyers in Saudi Arabia, shipping the prohibited items, and then lying to federal inspectors about it.
According to allegations in the indictment, Buschman conducted an illegal export conspiracy for more than five years, lasting from about February 2019 to about December 2024.
During this time, Saudi Arabian-based buyers paid the defendant approximately $398,000 for the items, which included firearms and firearms parts with removed serial numbers.
The defendant then prepared the items further before shipping them, by concealing the firearms and firearm parts inside of common household appliances and tools such as toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans, and landscaping edge trimmers.
Using a fake return address, the defendant shipped the items through the U.S. Postal Service to freight forwarders, which are companies that specialize in the logistics of shipping items from one country to another.
Buschman is charged by indictment with conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States; attempted smuggling of goods from the United States; transporting and shipping firearms with removed, obliterated, or altered serial numbers; mailing firearms as non-mailable prohibited items; unlawful dealing in firearms without a license; and making false statements to law enforcement.
If convicted on all counts, Buschman faces a penalty of 42 years in prison and fines of up to $1.5 million.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cleveland Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cleveland Office (of the Pittsburgh Division), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).
Elements of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also assisted HSI.
The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the execution of the arrest and search warrants.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Shepherd and Jerome J. Teresinski for the Northern District of Ohio.
Elements of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also assisted HSI.
The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the execution of the arrest and search warrants.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Related Federal Cases
- Mark John Buschman, Firearms Smuggling, Wisconsin 2025 · New York
- Donald May, Unlawful Firearm Possession, Ohio 2024 · Wisconsin
- Kyle Richards, Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon, Wisconsin 2023 · Wisconsin
- Robert A. Goldsberry, Felonious Firearm Possession, Wisconsin 2024 · Wisconsin
- Anthony James, Unlawful Firearm Possession, Wisconsin 2023 · Wisconsin
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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