Appearing in federal court in Scranton on Tuesday, a Susquehanna County man pleaded guilty to conspiring to export to Syria laboratory equipment used to detect chemical warfare agents.
Harold Rinko, 72, of Hallstead, faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, said Amanda Endy, secretary to the United States Attorney in Harrisburg.
Prosecutors say Mr. Rinko, the owner of Global Parts Supply in Hallstead, conspired with two other men to ship goods, including scanners that detect chemical warfare agents, to Syria from 2003 until 2012.
An indictment states the trio circumvented federal law that requires a license to export goods, other than humanitarian supplies and medicines, to Syria. The law is designed to shut down the supply chain used by the country to support terrorism and develop weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons.
The men perpetrated the scheme by creating false invoices that mislabeled the goods and provided false information as to where the purchasers of the items where located, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The charges were the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.
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