Bergen County Man Charged with Conspiring to Sell Firearms Belonging to Saddam Hussein's Family

Two men - one being from Bergen County - were indicted today on charges of conspiring to sell seven firearms in New Jersey believed to have belonged to the family of Saddam Hussein before being stolen and smuggled out of Iraq, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

New Milford resident Carlos Quirola-Ordonez, 57, also known as Manny or Julio Antonio Gonzalez, and 50-year-old David Phillip Ryan of Miami, Fla. have been charged with one count of conspiring to transport stolen firearms each. Ryan has also been charged with one count of transporting stolen property in interstate commerce.

The arrests came after police were notified back in April of 2012 that valuable firearms allegedly belonging to members of the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein were available for sale. The firearms were kept in Florida as Ryan, Quirola-Ordonez and others looked for buyers in New Jersey.

The collection was shipped to New Jersey for potential buyers to view them.

The firearms include a Coonan Arms Inc .357 semi-automatic pistol with “QS” which is believed to be the initials of Hussein’s son, Qusay Saddam Hussein, two Korth .357 magnum revolvers, a Chinese State Factories type 64 pistol, two Cosmi 12 gauge shot guns and one Llama Semiautomatic .45 ACP pistol with the initials “QS.”

The conspiracy count carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Ryan’s second charge, unlawful transportation of stolen property in interstate commerce, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.