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Heavy Metal Armory has operated legally and within the confines of the law for many many years. Look around this site for yourself. Here you'll find information everywhere on the correct and legal manner in which we and this industry should operate within the law. We have always taken great pride in doing things correctly and is the only way we believe defense exports should be accomplished, within the law.
While we cannot comment on the detais of the case, we can say the following:
The person who caused this entire mess is Richard Bistrong who is a former Armor Holdings vice president. Mr Bistrong was caught providing more than $4.4 million in bribes to foreign officials including officials of the UN in an ongoing pattern for many many years. His subsequent firing by Armor Holdings and law enforcement contact was never reported. During due dilligence process before meeting with Mr. Bistrong, there was no record of his known criminal activities on any of the debarred persons lists nor through background checks which would have alerted industry to a potential issue with this individual such as on the 7 debarred persons/entities lists here on our site. Had law enforcement acted on criminal prosecution of this individual as they should have, this information would have caused his listing on one of the aforementioned alert lists and we are doubtful anyone indicted would have even spoken to Mr. Bistrong for any reason. Mr. Bistrong, then a known criminal and con-man was engaged by law enforcement to spend the next years, yes YEARS, setting up anyone he could come into contact with in the industry.
We thank everyone who has shown support during these difficult times and trust that everyone will listen closely to what is said in court and not believe the media hype. There is so much more to this than most can possibly imagine. We invite you to read the article below which can be found Here --------------------------------------------------------- The key intermediary identified as “Individual 1” in this week's historic bribery indictment of 22 peoplefrom the military and police-equipment industry has been charged with conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 371).
In a one-count criminal information filed in federal court in the District of Columbia, the DOJ accused Richard T. Bistrong of conspiring with others to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act's antibribery provisions, 15 U.S.C. §78dd-1, its books and records provisions, 15 U.S.C. §§ 78m(b)(2)(A), 78m(b)(5) and 78ff(a), and the Commerce Department's export license rules, 50 U.S.C. §§ 1701-1706 and 15 C.F.R. §§ 736.2, 764.2, and 774. The information was released on Friday.
Bistrong was a vice president for international sales at Armor Holdings, a former publicly traded military equipment manufacturer in Jacksonville, Florida. Amor became a subsidiary of BAE Systems after the British firm acquired it in 2007.
According to a report in the New York Times Friday by Diana Henriques, John Suttle, senior vice president for corporate communications at BAE's U.S. unit, confirmed that Bistrong had worked at Armor Holdings but was fired before BAE's acquisition. He said Armor had self-disclosed to the DOJ and SEC and that "all of these events occurred before BAE bought the company."
The New York Times also said sources confirmed that Bistrong -- or “Individual 1” as he's referred to in the earlier indictments -- introduced undercover FBI agents to senior executives in the arms and security-equipment business.
Tuesday's indictment of 22 people, including four Israelis and three Britons, was the first big undercover sting used in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It was also the biggest mass indictment in FCPA history. An FBI undercover agent posed as a military-equipment buyer for an African country. He told the sellers they would have to pay 20% commissions to an African government official for the sales. "Individual 1," according to the indictments, played a key role by introducing the undercover FBI agent to the various sellers.
In its charges against Bistrong, the DOJ alleged that from 2001 through 2006, he and others concealed about $4.4 million in payments to agents and other intermediaries who helped Armor Products obtain business from "foreign government customers" in Nigeria and the Netherlands. Payments for sales to the United Nations for its mission in Iraq were also involved.
The DOJ said in the information that an official of a "public international organization" is a "foreign official" under the FCPA. 15 U.S.C. §§ 78dd-l(f)(l)(A) and 78dd-l(f)(I)(B). The United Nations is a "public international organization;" therefore its offcials are "foreign officials" under the FCPA. 22 U.S.C. § 288; Exec. Order No. 9698, 11 Fed. Reg. 1809 (Feb. 20,1946).
The information also alleged that in March 2004, Bistrong and another employee authorized the export from the U.S. to the United Arab Emirates for further shipping to Iraq of vests and helmets "without obtaining a required license from the Commerce Department to do so."
Download a copy of the Indictment for Richard Bistrong Here
Heavy Metal Armory has operated legally and within the confines of the law for many many years. Look around this site for yourself. Here you'll find information everywhere on the correct and legal manner in which we and this industry should operate within the law. We have always taken great pride in doing things correctly and is the only way we believe defense exports should be accomplished, within the law.
While we cannot comment on the detais of the case, we can say the following:
The recent FBI / DOJ undercover sting operation which entrapped many executives from many different countries is a clear-cut case of overzealous law enforcement looking to grandstand by targeting law abiding citizens who have no history whatsoever of this sort of alleged activity and in many cases actually fought to improve accountability in the industry to the benefit of law enforcement.
The person who caused this entire mess is Richard Bistrong who is a former Armor Holdings vice president. Mr Bistrong was caught providing more than $4.4 million in bribes to foreign officials including officials of the UN in an ongoing pattern for many many years. His subsequent firing by Armor Holdings and law enforcement contact was never reported. During due dilligence process before meeting with Mr. Bistrong, there was no record of his known criminal activities on any of the debarred persons lists nor through background checks which would have alerted industry to a potential issue with this individual such as on the 7 debarred persons/entities lists here on our site. Had law enforcement acted on criminal prosecution of this individual as they should have, this information would have caused his listing on one of the aforementioned alert lists and we are doubtful anyone indicted would have even spoken to Mr. Bistrong for any reason. Mr. Bistrong, then a known criminal and con-man was engaged by law enforcement to spend the next years, yes YEARS, setting up anyone he could come into contact with in the industry.
We thank everyone who has shown support during these difficult times and trust that everyone will listen closely to what is said in court and not believe the media hype. There is so much more to this than most can possibly imagine. We invite you to read the article below which can be found Here --------------------------------------------------------- The key intermediary identified as “Individual 1” in this week's historic bribery indictment of 22 peoplefrom the military and police-equipment industry has been charged with conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 371).
In a one-count criminal information filed in federal court in the District of Columbia, the DOJ accused Richard T. Bistrong of conspiring with others to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act's antibribery provisions, 15 U.S.C. §78dd-1, its books and records provisions, 15 U.S.C. §§ 78m(b)(2)(A), 78m(b)(5) and 78ff(a), and the Commerce Department's export license rules, 50 U.S.C. §§ 1701-1706 and 15 C.F.R. §§ 736.2, 764.2, and 774. The information was released on Friday.
Bistrong was a vice president for international sales at Armor Holdings, a former publicly traded military equipment manufacturer in Jacksonville, Florida. Amor became a subsidiary of BAE Systems after the British firm acquired it in 2007.
According to a report in the New York Times Friday by Diana Henriques, John Suttle, senior vice president for corporate communications at BAE's U.S. unit, confirmed that Bistrong had worked at Armor Holdings but was fired before BAE's acquisition. He said Armor had self-disclosed to the DOJ and SEC and that "all of these events occurred before BAE bought the company."
The New York Times also said sources confirmed that Bistrong -- or “Individual 1” as he's referred to in the earlier indictments -- introduced undercover FBI agents to senior executives in the arms and security-equipment business.
Tuesday's indictment of 22 people, including four Israelis and three Britons, was the first big undercover sting used in connection with alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It was also the biggest mass indictment in FCPA history. An FBI undercover agent posed as a military-equipment buyer for an African country. He told the sellers they would have to pay 20% commissions to an African government official for the sales. "Individual 1," according to the indictments, played a key role by introducing the undercover FBI agent to the various sellers.
In its charges against Bistrong, the DOJ alleged that from 2001 through 2006, he and others concealed about $4.4 million in payments to agents and other intermediaries who helped Armor Products obtain business from "foreign government customers" in Nigeria and the Netherlands. Payments for sales to the United Nations for its mission in Iraq were also involved.
The DOJ said in the information that an official of a "public international organization" is a "foreign official" under the FCPA. 15 U.S.C. §§ 78dd-l(f)(l)(A) and 78dd-l(f)(I)(B). The United Nations is a "public international organization;" therefore its offcials are "foreign officials" under the FCPA. 22 U.S.C. § 288; Exec. Order No. 9698, 11 Fed. Reg. 1809 (Feb. 20,1946).
The information also alleged that in March 2004, Bistrong and another employee authorized the export from the U.S. to the United Arab Emirates for further shipping to Iraq of vests and helmets "without obtaining a required license from the Commerce Department to do so."
Download a copy of the Indictment for Richard Bistrong Here |
