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Press Release

Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Export American-Made Ammunition Used in War Against Ukraine

Monday, March 30, 2026

Share For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Today, Italian national Manfred Gruber pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export control violations. Gruber illegally exported ammunition worth over $540,000 from the United States to Kyrgyzstan, via companies that the defendant and his co-conspirator controlled in Italy. After reaching Kyrgyzstan, most of this ammunition was subsequently reexported to Russia. Today’s proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl for the Eastern District of New York. In January 2026, Sergei Zharnovnikov, a Kyrgyzstan-based co-conspirator of the defendant, was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to violating the Export Control Reform Act.

“Gruber’s crimes helped sustain a bloody war that has claimed countless lives,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “NSD is committed to holding accountable those illegally funneling weapons and ammunition to Russia’s war machine.”

“Manfred Gruber put many lives at risk by illegally supplying Russia with hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of American-made, military-grade ammunition to advance its war in Ukraine,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates the serious consequences of violating U.S. export controls and the FBI’s commitment to holding accountable those who illegally fuel our foreign adversaries’ war efforts. We will continue working with our partners across law enforcement and the private sector to safeguard our national security by keeping American-made military supplies out of the hands of hostile nation-states.”

“The defendant used multiple companies to hide his scheme to send military‑grade ammunition to Kyrgyzstan, before it was reexported to Russia to support its war effort,” stated United States Attorney Joseph Nocella for the Eastern District of New York. “I commend our partners at the FBI and the Department of Commerce for uncovering this deadly scheme and swiftly bringing Gruber to justice.”

“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates our commitment, in concert with our partners, to aggressively enforce America’s export control laws," said Department of Commerce Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement David Peters.

As set forth in court filings, Gruber is Director of Sales for Italian Company-1, a large wholesale distributor of firearms and ammunition. Gruber served as a key member of an international ammunition procurement network for Russia during its war against Ukraine, purchasing ammunition from the United States and reexporting it to Kyrgyzstan in violation of DOC licenses issued to Italian Company-1, which required that the ammunition stay in Italy. Gruber did not apply for, obtain, or possess a license to export or reexport ammunition to Kyrgyzstan.

For example, U.S. Company-1, headquartered in Nebraska, had a license to lawfully export ammunition to Italian Company-1, but the ammunition could not be reexported out of Italy. In violation of the license, Gruber, using a cutout company, Italian Company‑2, reexported U.S. Company-1 ammunition to Zharnovnikov, an arms dealer from Kyrgyzstan who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate export controls by sending U.S.-made firearms and ammunition to Russia. A contract found on Zharnovnikov’s phone indicated that he had contracted with a Russian company for ammunition manufactured by U.S. Company-1.

In addition, U.S. Company-2, headquartered in Tennessee, had a license to lawfully export ammunition to Italian Company‑1, but the ammunition could not be reexported out of Italy. Gruber exported the ammunition from U.S. Company-2 to Italy, and then reexported the U.S. Company-2 ammunition from Italy to Kyrgyzstan.

Gruber was aware that U.S. law prohibited the reexport of U.S. ammunition without further licenses, which he did not obtain. To help the unlawful export scheme succeed, the defendant took steps to disguise the true destination of the ammunition. In encrypted messages on or about September 23, 2023, Gruber exchanged the following messages with an unapprehended co-conspirator:

Co-Conspirator:

Approximately 100,000 [U.S. Company-1 bullets]

What delivery time do we have?

Gruber:

🤣🤣🤣they give me an answer in a few days... you have to give them everything at once?  I ask because of the possible destination....  They caught the Slovenian [U.S. Company-1] distributor who had triangulated with Russia... FBI International

Co-Conspirator:

No, this request is from an Armenian customer.

We can even split up the shipment

Gruber:

I’d say that would be better, so it goes unnoticed. 😉

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Ellen H. Sise, Tara B. McGrath, and Adam Amir for the Eastern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, with assistance from Litigation Analysts Rebecca Roth and Matthew Jennings.

Updated March 30, 2026 Topics Counterintelligence National Security Components National Security Division (NSD) USAO - New York, Eastern Press Release Number: 26-300

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