4 Filipinos Plead Guilty in Arms-Smuggling Case
Four Filipinos, including a retired Philippines Supreme Court judge, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Los Angeles to charges that they tried to smuggle 370 firearms and a half-million rounds of ammunition to the Philippines. Antonio Paredes, 65, the former jurist and now a resident of Long Beach; and his son, Quintin Paredes III, 42, a Manila lawyer, pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of attempting to export the pistols and ammunition.
A co-conspirator, Maria Louisa Tan Hang, 34, accused of attempting to get the handguns to confederates in the Philippines, pleaded guilty to a felony firearms violations. Her husband, Kerwin Hang, 42, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge.
The Paredeses face a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine when they are sentenced Oct. 1, while the Hangs face maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when they are sentenced on Sept. 4.
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