Facts
Roggio owns and operates Roggio Consulting Company, LLC. In 2015, Roggio and Roggio Consulting Company, LLC allegedly conspired to illegally export items and defense services from the US to Iraq.
Roggio allegedly failed to obtain the requisite licensing or written approval from the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of State. In addition, Roggio and his firm allegedly committed wire fraud by providing false information about end users when purchasing items from a US company. The items were then allegedly sent to Iraq where the parts were utilized to manufacture firearms at a plant constructed and operated in part by Roggio. Throughout this process, Roggio also allegedly laundered money from Iraq to bank accounts in Pennsylvania.
According to the judgement, when one of Roggio’s employees raised concerns about the weapons production project in Iraqi Kurdistan, Roggio ordered Kurdish soldiers to abduct and detain the employee at a Kurdish military compound for approximately thirty-nine days. While the employee was detained, Roggio allegedly led a series of interrogation sessions where he wrapped his belt around the employee’s neck and yanked the employee off the ground, which led the employee to lose consciousness. Roggio also reportedly directed Kurdish soldiers to suffocate the employee with a plastic bag, shock the employee with a taser, beat the employee with rubber hoses, threaten to cut off the employee’s finger and force the employee to run barefoot over sharp gravel. Throughout the time the employee was detained at the military compound, Roggio also repeatedly told the employee they might not make it out of the military compound alive. The conviction further states that Roggio brought other employees to the military compound to intimidate them and force them to watch as the employee was tortured.
Procedure
On 20 March 2018, a thirty-seven-count indictment was issued charging Roggio and Roggio Consulting Company, LLC with criminal conspiracy, money laundering, wire fraud and illegal export of goods. On 23 March 2018, Roggio pled not guilty and was arrested. In February 2022, a superseding indictment was issued also charging Roggio with torture and conspiracy to commit torture against one of his employees in violation of Title 18, U.S.C §2340, 2340A(c), 2340A(a) and 2.
On 19 May 2023, a federal jury convicted Roggio of torture, conspiracy to commit torture, conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, exporting weapons parts and services to Iraq without the approval of the Department of State or the Department of Commerce, smuggling goods, wire fraud and money laundering. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Highlight
Ross Roggio is the second person to be convicted of torture since the federal torture statute went into effect in 1994.