Wisconsin Man Charged With Illegally Selling Firearms to Saudi Arabian Buyers
An indictment was unsealed Feb. 4 charging Wisconsin resident Mark Buschman with selling firearms and related parts to buyers in Saudi Arabia without a license, exporting the items and "lying to federal prosecutors about it," DOJ announced. Buschman allegedly ran an "illegal export conspiracy" for more than five years, February 2019 to December 2024, and now faces a maximum of 42 years in prison and up to $1.5 million in fines.
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DOJ said Buschman obtained firearms and firearm parts in the U.S., advertised them on eBay and other online markets, then agreed to ship the items to Saudi Arabian buyers. The buyers paid about $398,000 for the weapons and parts, it said.
The indictment alleges that serial numbers from some of the firearms and firearm parts were removed prior to export. Buschman also allegedly prepared the items by hiding them inside common household appliances like toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans and landscaping edge trimmers. He shipped the items through the U.S. Postal Service to freight forwarders, DOJ alleged.