Crimesider
Crimesider
November 2, 2011 3:52 PM

Viktor Bout, aka Russia's "Merchant of Death," convicted of anti-U.S. terror conspiracy

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Crimesider Staff
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Daily Blotter

This image provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration shows Russian arms trafficking suspect Viktor Bout, center, in U.S. custody after being flown from Bangkok to New York on Tuesday Nov. 16, 2010

/ AP/DEA
(CBS/AP) NEW YORK, NY - The Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was convicted Wednesday in federal court for conspiring to commit acts of terrorism against the United States.

Bout, 44, once known as the "Merchant of Death," was accused of seeking to make millions of dollars by selling heavy weaponry to a terror group, so it could attack U.S. forces that were helping the Colombian government.

The former Soviet military officer was convicted of conspiracy to kill Americans and US officials, deliver anti-aircraft missiles and aid a terrorist organization. The verdict was reached after the jury deliberated for about 6 hours over the course of two days.

Bout was arrested overseas in 2008 in a sting, and was then transferred to the U.S. to face charges that he attempted to supply weapons on the black market to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McGuire said in his closing arguments that Bout, "did everything he could to show he could be the one-stop shop for FARC."

Bout's lawyers claim their client, a legitimate businessman, was framed. They say prosecutors built their case on recorded conversations that were open to interpretation and never actually resulted in the exchange of arms or money.

Albert Dayan, Bout's attorney, said U.S. authorities "don't have anything. All they have is speculation, innuendo and conjecture."

Bout could get life in prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 8.


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