Yong Guo, Firearms Exports, Washington 2015

Seattle, Washington – A Chinese citizen illegally in the United States, Yong Guo, 45, was sentenced to three years in prison for smuggling firearms, firearms parts and ammunition out of the United States without the proper export control licenses, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.

In a guilty plea in February 2015, Guo admitted that between August 2012 and June 2014, he illegally purchased firearms, firearms parts and ammunition and sold and shipped them to people in Hong Kong and China. Guo shipped about 80 packages using false names and addresses from various post offices in King and Pierce Counties.

”Illicit firearms trafficking fuels crime and conflicts around the world,” said United States Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “I commend the work of Homeland Security Investigations, with the cooperation of our international partners, to uncover this kind of wrongdoing and ensure dangerous weapons do not end up in the wrong hands.”

In two instances described in the plea agreement, in May 2014, Guo shipped ten .22 caliber rifle bolt assemblies to a contact in Hong Kong. A few weeks later, Guo shipped numerous other parts for .22 caliber rifles. Both packages had been labeled to contain fictitious items such as “steel blocks,” “toy parts,” and a “canvas bag.” Both packages were seized by law enforcement.

”Exporting restricted items, such firearms components and ammunition, without the permission of the U.S. government, is a crime.” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle. “Mr. Guo knew this and made attempts to evade detection by falsifying export documents, nonetheless his scheme was detected by law enforcement. Stemming the illicit export of firearms, arms components and other sensitive military technology is a high priority for HSI.”

Exact criminal charge: Smuggling firearms, firearms parts and ammunition out of the United States without the proper export control licenses. Sentence: Three years in prison. Date: February 2015 (plea) and March 2015 (sentencing). Location: Seattle, Washington.

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