Oakland man pleads guilty for attempting to illegally export weapons to Middle East

OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland man pleaded guilty to attempting to illegally export firearms and night-vision rifle scopes to the Middle East, federal prosecutors said Friday.   

Fares Abdo Al Eyani, 40, hid four firearms, with magazines and ammunition, and at least 44 rifle scopes, monoculars, and goggles with night vision capabilities in shipping containers bound from the Port of Oakland to the Sultanate of Oman, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.   

The guns and equipment are considered defense articles. They are prohibited from export without a license, and Al Eyani didn't have a license, prosecutors said.   

Al Eyani's wife, Saba Mohsen Dhaifallah, 41, pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents investigating the smuggling. Both are to be sentenced in March.   

Al Eyani faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine; Dhaifallah faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.