Pennsylvania man convicted of torturing victim for 39 days, exporting weapons parts to Iraq

A Pennsylvania man was convicted of multiple crimes, including torture, in connection with the operation of an illegal weapons manufacturing plant in Iraq. 

The 54-year-old man, identified by federal authorities as Ross Roggio of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was convicted by a federal jury on May 19. The Department of Justice announced the outcome of the trial in a news release shared on Monday. The crimes took place in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. 

Roggio was developing a weapons factory in the region, where he provided training to foreign citizens involved in the operation, assembly and manufacturing of the M4 automatic rifle. He also illegally exported weapons parts that were under restriction from the U.S. State and Commerce Departments.