「死の商人」に懲役２５年 | 英語のニュース

World News

‘Merchant of Death' gets 25 years

A defiant Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" for his history of arming violent dictators and regimes was sentenced April 5 in a U.S. court to 25 years in prison, far short of the life term that prosecutors had sought for his conviction on terrorism charges that grew from a U.S. sting operation.

Viktor Bout's sentence was the mandatory minimum he faced; federal sentencing guidelines had called for life in prison.

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said it was sufficient and appropriate because Bout's crimes originated only because of an elaborate sting operation created by the Drug Enforcement Administration to catch one of the world's most notorious arms dealers.

She said there was no evidence the 45-year-old Bout had ever planned to harm Americans or commit a crime punishable in U.S. courts until the sting was created.

The sentencing came four years after Bout's arrest in Thailand, where he was held before his extradition to the U.S. for trial in late 2010. (AP)

Shukan ST: APRIL 20, 2012

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World News ‘Merchant of Death' gets 25 years A defiant Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" for his history of arming violent dictators and regimes was sentenced April 5 in a U.S. court to 25 years in prison, far short of the life term that prosecutors had sought for his conviction on terrorism charges that grew from a U.S. sting operation. Viktor Bout's sentence was the mandatory minimum he faced; federal sentencing guidelines had called for life in prison. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said it was sufficient and appropriate because Bout's crimes originated only because of an elaborate sting operation created by the Drug Enforcement Administration to catch one of the world's most notorious arms dealers. She said there was no evidence the 45-year-old Bout had ever planned to harm Americans or commit a crime punishable in U.S. courts until the sting was created. The sentencing came four years after Bout's arrest in Thailand, where he was held before his extradition to the U.S. for trial in late 2010. (AP) Shukan ST: APRIL 20, 2012 (C) All rights reserved