HARRISBURG, Pa. – U.S. prosecutors have charged a Pennsylvania man and two foreign citizens with conspiring to illegally export chemical warfare detection devices and other lab equipment to Syria.
A federal judge in Scranton, Pa., unsealed the case Wednesday. The men were charged in 2012.
The men are accused of shipping goods to Syria through other countries for nine years. Prosecutors say the items included portable instruments used to detect and classify chemical agents.
Charged are Harold Rinko, of Hallstead, Pa.; Ahmad Feras Diri, of London; and Moawea Deri, a Syrian citizen who the federal government says is at large.
A plea agreement signed by Rinko also was unsealed. Rinko confirmed to The Associated Press that he has agreed to plead guilty to one count.
Prosecutors say Diri is awaiting extradition in London.
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