PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former U.S. Army officer who operated a business in Portland selling military-grade weapons parts and accessories pleaded guilty Friday to arms export violations and mishandling classified documents.
The pleas by Justin Gage Jangraw in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia involved violating the Arms Export Control Act by selling restricted parts overseas via a website and on eBay.
Regulations require people selling weapons items that are on a U.S. munitions list to obtain a license from the U.S. Department of State. Jangraw did not apply for such a license, prosecutors said, though he was aware of the requirements and even posted them on his website.
Prosecutors say he generated more than $12,000 by selling and exporting 287 restricted items to buyers in 34 different foreign countries during a 15-month period — including rifle scopes, grips that facilitate faster shooting, and levers that improve reloading.
Jangraw was caught after an undercover Homeland Security agent, posing as a buyer from Vienna, bought three grips and two levers from the company.
The 34-year-old Jangraw also pleaded guilty to removing and keeping Army emails and other classified material he received while deployed in Iraq.
Jangraw acknowledged downloading the documents from his work computer to an external hard drive and laptop. Prosecutors say he took the laptop with him to numerous foreign countries and accessed unprotected Wi-Fi networks.
Jangraw, who now lives in Rockford, Michigan, will be sentenced on Nov. 21.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Jangraw completed a business degree program through the Oregon Executive MBA program in Portland in 2011.
He was president of Astico Defense Corp., a small company specializing in the distribution of military equipment, including government contracting and retail sales.
Jangraw’s attorney Amy Baggio did not immediately return calls for comment.
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