United States of America v. Mark John Buschman

Cleveland, Ohio, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States to Saudi Arabia in violation of 18 U.S.C.371; transporting and shipping firearms with removed, obliterated, or altered serial numbers in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922, unlawful dealing in firearms without a license in violation of 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(1)(A), and making false statements to law enforcement in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001(a)(2).

Reported by: Kent Morlan

From about February 2019 to December 2024, Mark Buschman, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, ran an illegal export operation that shipped U.S acquired firearms out of the country. After obtaining the firearms and their related parts in the U.S., he advertised the items for sale on eBay and other online marketplace-style websites. Buschman’s advertising generated sales leads from buyers in Saudi Arabia and he eventually sold and shipped the items to them. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Saudi Arabian-based buyers paid the defendant approximately $305,614.

Some of the firearms and firearms parts were removed before Bushman shipped the items. He then hid the firearms and firearm parts inside household appliances and tools such as toasters, coffee makers, space heaters, fans, and landscaping hedge trimmers before he packaged the items for shipment. Buschman did not declare that the shipments contained firearms or their parts when sending to freight forwarders located in Ohio, New Jersey, Oregon and elsewhere.

Buschman is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9, 2026. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. As part of his guilty plea, Buschman agreed to forfeit $180,000 in criminal proceeds. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cleveland Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Cleveland Office (of the Pittsburgh Division), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Elements of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also assisted HSI. The Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the La Crosse County Sheriff's Office assisted with the execution of the arrest and search warrants.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty.