Father, Son Charged in Materiel Exports, Including to Japan Cult
A man and his son were arrested Monday on charges of illegally selling military equipment to foreign companies, including one run by the Japanese religious sect whose leader is charged in the 1995 poison gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system.
Milton Somberg, 72, and Howard Somberg, 44, are charged with illegally exporting military and police products regulated by federal government.
The illegal exports included stun guns, tear gas, night vision equipment, semiautomatic ammunition magazines and chemical protective suits, the complaint says.
Milton Somberg is president and his son is vice president of Long Island-based Rothco, a wholesale supplier of surplus military items, police equipment and hunting and camping supplies.
Federal prosecutors said the arrests followed an investigation of possible links between U.S. military and police surplus equipment firms and Aum Supreme Truth, a Tokyo-based religious sect. Its leader is being prosecuted for the March 20, 1995, sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.
On March 2, 1995, Rothco shipped 10 cartons of gas masks, falsely labeled as “face masks,” to Fremont, Calif., for shipment to Tokyo. U.S. customs agents seized the gas masks before their scheduled export to Japan.
If convicted on all charges, each man faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1.05-million fine.
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