According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ross Roggio, 55, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, arranged for Kurdish soldiers to abduct and detain the victim at a Kurdish military compound, where Roggio suffocated the victim with a belt, threatened to cut off one of his fingers, and directed Kurdish soldiers to repeatedly beat, choke, tase and otherwise physically and mentally abuse the victim over a 39-day period, the DOJ said in a press release.

The victim, an Estonian citizen, was an employee at a weapons factory that Roggio was developing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq intended to manufacture automatic rifles and pistols.

"Ross Roggio had his victim abducted and detained at a Kurdish military compound in Iraq, where Roggio and others physically and mentally tortured the victim over the course of 39 days," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the DOJ's Criminal Division.

"During that time, Roggio suffocated the victim and directed others to beat, choke and tase him," Argentieri continued. "Roggio's victim worked at a weapons factory in Iraq, where Roggio illegally sent weapons parts and illegally provided services in violation of export controls laws. Today's sentence – following the second-ever conviction under the federal torture statute – shows that, no matter where such deplorable acts occur, the United States is committed to holding the perpetrators accountable."

"The sentence imposed by the court demonstrates the seriousness of Ross Roggio's crimes and brings some measure of justice for his torture victim," said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

"Violence against the dignity and human rights of any victim cannot be tolerated and our office will continue to prioritize and pursue those who would do so in violation of federal law," Karam continued. "Ross Roggio was also convicted of United States export laws related to illegally producing firearms in Kurdistan, Iraq. Though more technical in nature, these laws are no less important and are designed to take into account human rights considerations on a larger scale, to limit access to our most sensitive technologies and weapons and to promote regional stability."

Karam added that he commended all the prosecutors and law enforcement agents "who worked tirelessly to bring justice in this matter."

According to the press release, Roggio had, in connection with the weapons factory project, exported firearms parts and tools without the required approvals by the U.S. government. He also illegally trained foreign persons in the operation, assembly, and manufacturing of the M4 automatic rifle.

Convicted of 33 counts

In May 2023, a federal jury convicted Roggio of 33 counts of torture, conspiracy to commit torture, conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., exporting weapons parts and services to Iraq without the approval of the U.S. State Department, exporting weapons tools to Iraq without the approval of the U.S. Department of Commerce, smuggling goods, wire fraud and money laundering.

Roggio was the second defendant to be convicted of torture since the U.S.' federal torture statute went into effect in 1994.

"Torture is among the grievous crimes the FBI investigates, and this is the second time we have been able to bring justice under the federal torture statute," said Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan of the FBI's Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch, commenting on the sentencing.

"Our investigation into Roggio's abominable crimes and today's sentencing would not be possible without the sheer courage of the victim to tell his story," Langan highlighted. "The FBI and our international partners stand with victims by standing up to human rights violations wherever they occur."

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) had jointly investigated the torture, and were joined in the investigation of the arms export violations by the Office of Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

"Today's sentence highlights our commitment to stopping those who commit human rights abuses and threaten the security of the U.S. and partner nations," said HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger. "Thanks to our close interagency and international cooperation, Roggio has been brought to justice."

"Export evasion is often not a standalone crime," added BSI Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. "Here, the same defendant who was illegally exporting weapons parts to his Iraqi weapons factory was also brutally torturing one of his employees there."

The Roggio case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The DOJ highlighted that the Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS), the DOJ's Office of International Affairs (OIA) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) likewise all provided valuable assistance in the case.

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