CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A fourth accomplice in the shipment of weapons and ammunition from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Beirut, Lebanon has pleaded guilty.
Bassem Afif Herz, 31, pleaded guilty March 24 to conspiring to deal and ship firearms without a license, conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating the Arms Export Control Act. Herz was charged in May 2015 along with his wife, Sarah Majid Seaiter; his brother, Ali Afif Ali Herz; and his nephew, Adam Al Herz.
The other three family members pleaded guilty March 10 and 11, 2016.
In the plea agreement, Herz admitted that there were a total of four shipments of guns sent from Cedar Rapids out of the Midamar Corporation and destined for Lebanon between March 2014 and May 2015. The shipping containers had Bobcat skid loaders concealed with guns and ammunition. The sale of these weapons was to go toward the purchase of more weapons.
According to the criminal complaint, an eastern Iowa firearms store owner reported large purchases of weapons and ammunition in February 2015. That same store owner reported seeing the same people purchase about 20 firearms at a recent gun show in eastern Iowa. Investigators discovered the same buyers made other legal purchases at other gun dealers as well.
At least 113 firearms were purchased from licensed dealers in the past 18 months. Authorities also discovered more than $160,000 transferred by wire in connection with the guns and ammunition.
The first shipment was not intercepted, but the other containers were discovered to have concealed more than 150 firearms and 16,000 rounds of ammunition.
A sentencing date has not yet been set but Herz faces up to 45 years in prison, a $1,750,000 fine and 13 years of supervised release.
Read the full complaint: Herz Criminal Complaint
