Defendants Used Law Enforcement Credentials to Obtain
Military-Grade Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, and Other High-Powered Weapons
for Smuggling to the Philippines
Former New York City Police Officer Rex Maralit and his
brother Wilfredo Maralit, a Customs and Border Protection Officer assigned to
Los Angeles International Airport, were sentenced earlier today at the federal
courthouse in Brooklyn to three years’ imprisonment to be followed by three
years of supervised release for their roles in an illegal scheme to smuggle
high-powered assault rifles, sniper rifles, pistols, and firearms accessories
from the United States to the Philippines. The defendants pleaded guilty on
June 12, 2014, before United States District Judge Allyne R. Ross to violating
the Arms Export Control Act. A third brother, Ariel Maralit, resides in the
Philippines and remains a fugitive.
The sentences were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States
Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Assistant Attorney General John
P. Carlin; Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New
York; Craig W. Rupert, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative
Service (DCIS), Northeast Field Office; Delano A. Read, Special Agent in
Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New York
Field Division; and William J. Bratton, Commissioner, New York City Police
Department (NYPD).
“These defendants violated their sworn duties to uphold the
law, abusing their positions of trust to profit from the illegal export of
extremely dangerous weapons,” stated Ms. Lynch. “Today’s sentences send a
powerful message that criminal conduct by police officers, federal agents, and
their confederates will not be tolerated, and that no one, least of all those
entrusted to protect the communities and the country they serve, is above the
law.” Ms. Lynch expressed her
grateful appreciation to HSI, DCIS, ATF, and the NYPD’s
Internal Affairs Bureau, which worked closely together to investigate the case,
and to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and
the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for their assistance.
Between January 2009 and September 2013, the defendants
exported a variety of military-style firearms, along with high-capacity
magazines and accessories for those weapons, from the United States to the Philippines
where they were sold to overseas customers. Both Rex and Wilfredo Maralit used
their official credentials and status to obtain and ship the weapons without
first obtaining a license from the U.S. State Department. The firearms included
the Barrett .50 caliber long-range semi-automatic rifle, the FN “SCAR” assault
rifle, and high-capacity FN 5.7mm semi-automatic carbines and pistols which
fire a cartridge that was specifically designed to penetrate body armor.
The Arms Export Control Act requires exporters of firearms
to first obtain the approval of the United States State Department before
shipping weapons overseas. Similarly, dealing in firearms is regulated by the
ATF, which requires gun dealers to first obtain a federal firearms license before
engaging in such a business.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorneys Seth DuCharme and Sam Nitze, with assistance from Trial
Attorney David Recker of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
The Defendants:
REX G. MARALIT
Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Age: 46
WILFREDO MARALIT
Garden Grove, California
Age: 49
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