Press Release
BROWARD MAN RE-INDICTED ON ARMS EXPORT CHARGES
May 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announce that defendant Lance Brooks was charged by complaint with being an unlicensed broker of defense articles, in violation of the Arms Export Act, Title 22, United States Code, Section 2778. More specifically, Brooks was charged with knowingly and willfully brokering the sale of 150,000 rounds of .38 Jacketed Soft Point ammunition; 20,000 rounds of .380 Jacket Soft Point ammunition, and 100,000 rounds of .223 55grain Jacketed Soft Point ammunition to Jamaica, without first having registered with and obtained a license from the United States Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.
This is the second time Brooks has been charged with arms export violations. Brooks, the owner/operator of Taylor and Associates, an arms brokering business in Lauderhill, Florida, was indicted on November 6, 2007, Case Number 07-60265-CR-MARRA, for violations of the Arms Export Act and other offenses. On December 20, 2007, Brooks pled guilty to exporting defense services from the United States without a license, and is currently on bond pending sentencing in that case.
On March 30, 2008, while Brooks was awaiting sentencing, a search warrant was issued for the search of a DHL package addressed to Lance Brooks, Taylor and Associates, in Lauderhill, Florida, from Firearms Coastal Security Branch, Paul Robinson in Kingston, Jamaica. A search of the package revealed an End User Certificate from the Ministry of National Security, Kingston, Jamaica, dated February 26, 2008 regarding the purchase of 150,000 rounds of .38 Jacket Soft Point ammunition, 20,000 rounds of .380 Jacketed Soft Point ammunition, and 100,000 rounds of Jacketed Soft Point ammunition from Taylor and Associates.
Further investigation confirmed that from October 2007 to March 5, 2008, Brooks was brokering the sale of defense articles to the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Moreover, on March 3, 2008, the Jamaica Constabulary Force wire transferred the sum of $81,100.00 to Taylor and Associates to pay for the purchase of the ammunition.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Joint Terrorism Task Force members for their work on this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Walleisa.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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