Jury Convicts Miami Man In $300M Ammo Fraud Case
MIAMI (CBS4) -A federal jury in Florida has convicted a Miami man of fraud conspiracy in a scheme to illegally ship Chinese-made ammunition to Afghan forces.
Jurors in Miami on Friday convicted Ralph Merrill of 33 charges including wire fraud conspiracy and making false statements. Jurors acquitted Merrill of 16 other counts. Sentencing was set for March.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said Merrill was part of a $300 million military contract scheme by Miami Beach-based AEY Inc. located at 975 Arthur Godfrey Road. The plan was to ship the Chinese ammunition to Afghanistan military and police in violation of U.S. law. The ammo was repackaged to make it appear Albania was the source.
Three other men have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, including AEY President Efraim Diveroli.
