MINNEAPOLIS-Earlier today in federal court, a 38-year-old Coon Rapids man was sentenced for transporting firearms to his home country of Liberia. United States District Court Judge Ann D. Montgomery sentenced McHarding Degan Galimah to 30 months in prison on one count of smuggling firearms from the United States to Liberia. Galimah was indicted on Aug. 22, 2012, and convicted on Feb. 14, 2013.
The evidence presented at trial proved that Galimah purchased 12 firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer, including seven Hi-Point, nine-millimeter handguns. In November 2010 and July 2011, he exported those weapons to Liberia and then made several trips to that country to take possession of the firearms for resale at a profit. At no time did he possess a license to transport the firearms, as required by federal law. Moreover, federal regulations prohibit the export of firearms to Liberia.
This case was the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Dunne.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
