The agreement, filed in United States district court in New Bern, North Carolina, covers unauthorised sales of satellite phones in Sudan, unauthorised military training provided to foreign governments including Canada’s, the illegal possession of automatic weapons and other violations.
The prosecutors said, the sales and training in question took place from 2005 to 2008 and did not have the authorisation of the United States treasury and state departments, as required by law.
Ex-Blackwater firm has paid 7,5 million dollars fine to settle arms case
The list of violations includes possessing automatic weapons in the US without registration, lying to federal firearms regulators about weapons provided to the king of Jordan, passing secret plans for armoured personnel carriers to Sweden and Denmark without United States government approval and illegally shipping body armour overseas.
All documents unsealed in a United States district court in North Carolina said the former Blackwater company, now called Academi, has agreed to pay the fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement to settle seventeen violations.
2 years ago Blackwater company, which also used the name Xe Services LLC, reached a 42 million dollars settlement with the state department for similar allegations.
As a military contractor for the United States government in Iraq, Blackwater firm was a target of intense international scrutiny. In spring 2004, 4 of its security guards were ambushed and killed, and 2 of their bodies were hung from a bridge in Fallujah.
Special agent in charge of the Charlotte Division of the FBI, Chris Briese, said : ‘ For an extended period of time, Academi/Blackwater operated in a manner which demonstrated systemic disregard for US government laws and regulations. Today’s announcement should serve as a warning to others that allegations of wrongdoing will be aggressively investigated. ‘
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