United States of America v. Rami Ghanem

Laguna Niguel and San Diego, California criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendant charged with exporting military equipment from the United States to Lybia including acquiring, transporting, and use of surface-to-air missiles in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2332g.



After undercover federal agents conducted a sting

operation in which Defendant Rami Ghanem sought to

export military equipment from the United States to Libya,

Ghanem pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Arms

Export Control Act ("AECA”), see 22 U.S.C. § 2778; one

count of conspiring to violate the AECA and its regulations,

see 18 U.S.C. § 371; one count of unlawful smuggling, see

18 U.S.C. § 554; and two counts of money laundering, see

18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2)(A). But Ghanem proceeded to trial

on a remaining charge that he had conspired to acquire,

transport, and use surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles (again

for use in Libya) in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2332g, which

carries a 25-year mandatory minimum. Ghanem was found

guilty and was sentenced to 360 months of imprisonment,

which was within the applicable guidelines range of 292–

365 months. The 360-month total sentence rested on two

independent concurrent groups of sentences: (1) a 360-

month sentence for the § 2332g count alone; and (2) a

package of concurrent and consecutive sentences on the

remaining six counts that also yielded an aggregate 360-

month sentence. On appeal, we vacated Ghanem's § 2332g

conviction due to a defective jury instruction on venue, and

we remanded for resentencing. United States v. Ghanem,

993 F.3d 1113 (9th Cir. 2021).



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(a) Unlawful Conduct.—

(1) In general.—Except as provided in paragraph (3), it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly produce, construct, otherwise acquire, transfer directly or indirectly, receive, possess, import, export, or use, or possess and threaten to use—

(A) an explosive or incendiary rocket or missile that is guided by any system designed to enable the rocket or missile to—

(i) seek or proceed toward energy radiated or reflected from an aircraft or toward an image locating an aircraft; or

(ii) otherwise direct or guide the rocket or missile to an aircraft;

(B) any device designed or intended to launch or guide a rocket or missile described in subparagraph (A); or

(C) any part or combination of parts designed or redesigned for use in assembling or fabricating a rocket, missile, or device described in subparagraph (A) or (B).

(2) Nonweapon.—

Paragraph (1)(A) does not apply to any device that is neither designed nor redesigned for use as a weapon.

(3) Excluded conduct.—This subsection does not apply with respect to—

(A) conduct by or under the authority of the United States or any department or agency thereof or of a State or any department or agency thereof; or

(B) conduct pursuant to the terms of a contract with the United States or any department or agency thereof or with a State or any department or agency thereof.

(b) Jurisdiction.—Conduct prohibited by subsection (a) is within the jurisdiction of the United States if—

(1) the offense occurs in or affects interstate or foreign commerce;

(2) the offense occurs outside of the United States and is committed by a national of the United States;

(3) the offense is committed against a national of the United States while the national is outside the United States;

(4) the offense is committed against any property that is owned, leased, or used by the United States or by any department or agency of the United States, whether the property is within or outside the United States; or

(5) an offender aids or abets any person over whom jurisdiction exists under this subsection in committing an offense under this section or conspires with any person over whom jurisdiction exists under this subsection to commit an offense under this section.

(c) Criminal Penalties.—

(1) In general.—

Any person who violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, subsection (a) shall be fined not more than $2,000,000 and shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment not less than 25 years or to imprisonment for life.

(2) Other circumstances.—

Any person who, in the course of a violation of subsection (a), uses, attempts or conspires to use, or possesses and threatens to use, any item or items described in subsection (a), shall be fined not more than $2,000,000 and imprisoned for not less than 30 years or imprisoned for life.

(3) Special circumstances.—

If the death of another results from a person's violation of subsection (a), the person shall be fined not more than $2,000,000 and punished by imprisonment for life.

(d) Definition.—

As used in this section, the term "aircraft” has the definition set forth in section 40102(a)(6) of title 49, United States Code.

The defendant was sentenced to 360 months in prison.