Four men from Louisville are facing federal gun charges after prosecutors say they purchased guns and tried to illegally ship them to Iraq.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, 30 year-old Haitham Al-Dulaimi, 41 year-old Haider Lazem,27 year-old Hasan Wasak and 30 year-old Abdullah Alsajee, all of Louisville, were arrested Friday after a federal indictment was unsealed.
The men were charged with conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license, conspiracy to make false statements in the purchase of firearms, and conspiracy to defraud the United States government.
Alsajee, Lazem, and Wasak are also charged with making false statements in the purchase of firearms.
The indictment says the illegal activity went on between February 2023 and September 2024 and involved Glocks, Rugers, Sig Sauers and Smith & Wessons from the United States.
According to the indictment, the men tried to ship the guns to Iraq without obtaining the required export licenses.
Prosecutors say Wasak, Alsajee and Lazem would buy the guns from federal firearm licensees and at gun shows in the Louisville area. The three men would then allegedly deliver the guns to Al-Dulaimi, who arranged them for export to Iraq.
In total, 38 guns were seized by law enforcement from a shipment sent by Al-Dulaimi to Iraq.
If convicted, all four men face decades in prison. Al-Dulaimi, Lazem, Alsajee and Wasak face a maximum of 20 years in prison for violations of export control laws and five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. Lazem, Alsajee, and Wasak face an additional 10 years in prison for false statements during the purchase of a firearm.
Al-Dulaimi faces an additional 10 years in prison for smuggling and five years in prison for dealing in firearms without a license.
According to the release, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The ATF, HSI, and FBI are investigating the case.
If the men are convicted and sentenced, they will not be eligible for parole, as there is no parole in the federal system.
Source: WAVE
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