Parsippany Business Owner Sold Guns To Ukraine: US Attorney

PARSIPPANY, NJ — A Parsippany business owner is accused of selling and shipping weapons to a person in Ukraine without a State Department license, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady said.

Michael Stashchyshyn, 55, of Cedar Knolls, New Jersey, was indicted by a grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania on one count of conspiracy, Brady said. He was indicted along side Michael Cox, 42, of Beverly Hills, Michigan.

The two allegedly conspired with other to sell and ship sighting equipment, firearms and ammunition to Ukraine without having the required license from the State Department. Cox allegedly purchased the weapons in the United States and shipped them to Stashchyshyn's freight forwarding business in Parsippany.

Stashchyshyn then shipped the weapons on to a buyer in Ukraine, Brady said.

"The items shipped are contained on the Federal Munitions List and are controlled by the International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) regulations," Brady said. "They are illegal to ship without a license from the State Department, which the defendants and their co-conspirators did not have."

If convicted, the two men face five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

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