Army lieutenant colonel charged with smuggling firearm parts from Russia, other countries

Federal prosecutors accidental a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel has been arrested connected charges that helium illegally imported firearms parts from overseas countries including Russia and dealt weapons without a license

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A U.S. Army lieutenant colonel was arrested Thursday connected charges that helium illegally imported firearms parts from overseas countries including Russia and dealt weapons without a license, national prosecutors said.

Frank Ross Talbert, 40, has been indicted connected 21 charges including importing defence articles without a license, smuggling firearms parts into the U.S., firearms trafficking, possession of unregistered instrumentality guns, transporting a instrumentality weapon without a licence and dealing successful firearms without a license, the U.S. attorney's bureau successful Nashville said successful a quality release.

Talbert pleaded not blameworthy during a Thursday proceeding successful national tribunal successful Nashville, records showed. He was released from custody connected definite conditions, including that helium taxable to supervision by a tribunal officer, surrender his passport and restrict his question lone to Tennessee and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, records showed.

Talbert, a lieutenant colonel with the Army's Explosives Ordinance Disposal astatine Fort Campbell, was arrested aft national instrumentality enforcement agents executed aggregate hunt warrants during their investigation, prosecutors said.

The indictment said Talbert illegally imported parts for AK-style firearms without the due licence and authorization, successful usurpation of the Arms Export Control Act. The parts see pistol grips, manus guards, buttstocks, sights, state tubes and muzzle devices, the indictment said.

Talbert was besides accused of illegally importing 55 inert firearm grenades, illegally possessing AK-47 instrumentality guns, and illegally selling a partially destroyed AK-47 kit, which prosecutors said was transported from Tennessee to Kentucky.

The imported parts came from Russia, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, the indictment said. If convicted, Talbert faces a maximum condemnation of 20 years successful prison.

Fort Campbell is simply a sprawling basal that straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee line, astir 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Nashville.