BALTIMORE, MD – Tamufor Nchumuluh St. Michael, 42, of Rosedale, Maryland, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 30 months yesterday for a brazen scheme to illegally ship firearms and military-grade equipment to separatist groups battling the government of Cameroon. The operation, exposed by a multi-agency investigation, involved concealing weapons inside a shipping container disguised with false manifests.
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett handed down the sentence, which includes two years of supervised release following St. Michael’s incarceration. The case, prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, stemmed from a conspiracy that spanned from November 2017 to July 2019. St. Michael and his co-conspirators systematically purchased firearms, ammunition, and related supplies both online and in person, funneling the goods to St. Michael’s Rosedale residence.
The scope of the operation was significant. Investigators revealed that St. Michael personally acquired at least 24 rifles from a firearms retailer in Essex, Maryland, falsely certifying on ATF forms that he was the legitimate buyer. These certifications were knowingly false, as the firearms were destined for export – a clear violation of the Arms Export Control Act. The network wasn’t just dealing in rifles; they stockpiled ammunition reloading supplies, firearm parts, and other military-type items, building a clandestine arsenal for delivery overseas.
The smuggling attempt reached its peak in December 2018 when a shipping container containing a 1989 Toyota truck arrived at St. Michael’s residence. The container became a covert workshop as St. Michael and his accomplices loaded it with 38 firearms, including sniper rifles and SKS assault rifles – some with bayonets – 28 of which had their serial numbers deliberately obliterated. They packed in 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes, and a staggering 35,000 rounds of ammunition, concealing the weaponry within duffle bags and heavily wrapped packages hidden inside sealed compressor units.
The container, deceptively labeled with false information on export documents, departed the Port of Baltimore on January 17, 2019, bound for Onne, Nigeria. Co-conspirator Tse Ernst Bangarie filed the fraudulent export information, listing the contents as simply a Toyota Tundra truck, another 1989 Toyota, and “doors and frames.” The listed U.S. Principal Party in Interest was a fictitious individual with a fake address and a prepaid cell phone number. Bangarie knowingly omitted any mention of the hidden firearms and ammunition, attempting to fly the operation under the radar.
The scheme unraveled roughly a month later when the shipping container was ordered returned to Baltimore. Law enforcement personnel were waiting. The investigation was a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) – Mid-Atlantic Field Office. Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence, a clear signal that the federal government will aggressively pursue those who attempt to arm foreign conflicts and circumvent U.S. export laws.
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