Peter Steve Plesinger, 55, of Sahuarita, Ariz., and Stephen Edward Smith, 63, of Tucson, Ariz., were sentenced by U.S. District Judge James A. Soto to 87 months and 102 months, respectively, in prison. Both men had previously pleaded guilty to exportation of munitions from the United States to Hong Kong, dealing firearms without a license, and money laundering.
Two other defendants, Irina Cvetkovic and Earl Richmond, both of Sahuarita, Ariz., also were charged and convicted for their lessor roles in the conspiracy.
On June 27, 2014, law enforcement authorities in Hong Kong intercepted a package containing 139 rounds of ammunition that had been shipped from Arizona by Plesinger. A search of the intended recipient’s Hong Kong residence resulted in the recovery of three rifles, two pistols, four rifle barrels, a silencer, and at least 9,000 rounds of ammunition. Further investigation revealed that Plesinger had previously shipped those items to Hong Kong in packages with innocuous labels, that Plesinger had been paid at least $64,500 to ship large quantities of firearms, ammunition, and silencers to Hong Kong, and that Smith had been paid at least $59,550 for making similar shipments.
“HSI with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, is dedicated to making communities safer by bringing criminals to justice. The sentences of the defendants is a direct result of the steadfast efforts of federal agents to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of transnational criminal organizations who pose a threat to public safety both here and abroad,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, United States Customs and Border Protection (Los Angeles), the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, and the Hong Kong Department of Justice.