NEW YORK (AP) — An arms dealer once known as the Merchant of Death has been convicted of trying to sell heavy weapons to a Colombian terror group.
A federal jury in New York City reached the verdict Wednesday against Viktor Bout (boot).
Bout was arrested in a 2008 sting involving U.S. informants posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Prosecutors claimed secret recordings showed the former Soviet military officer thought he could make millions by supplying weaponry to the rebels. They said the fake buyers made it clear they wanted to attack U.S. personnel aiding the Colombian government.
The defense insisted Bout had retired from dealing arms when an undercover U.S. agent lured him into the negotiations. His lawyers said he only wanted to unload two old cargo planes.
