posted 02-06-2004 06:33 AM               

U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney
Western District of North Carolina

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Headquarters:
Suite 1700, Carillon Building
227 West Trade Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
(704) 344-6222
FAX (704) 344-6629 Branch:
Room 207, U.S. Courthouse
100 Otis Street
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
(704) 271-4661
FAX (704) 271-4670

NEWS RELEASE
February 5, 2004 For further information
Contact Suellen W. Pierce
(704) 338-3120

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- United States Attorney Robert J. Conrad, Jr.,
Special Agent in Charge of ATF, Charlotte Field Division, Lester D.
Martz, and Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Office of the IRS
Criminal Investigation Division, Michael J. Thomas, announced that
Ulrich H. Wiegand, 34, Oliver M. Wiegand, 37, Interordnance of
America, L.P., and related companies, were indicted on Tuesday,
February 3, 2004, by a federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte on 83
counts alleging conspiracy, illegal importation of machineguns,
illegal possession and transfer of machineguns, structuring, and
money laundering. The charges involve the Wiegand brothers' federally
licensed firearms business, Interordnance of America, L.P., located
in Monroe, North Carolina, as well as foreign companies located in
Witten, Germany and Ferlach, Austria, at one time owned and
controlled by the Wiegand brothers.

According to the indictment, Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand are German
nationals who established Interordnance of America in June 1995 as a
firearms importation business and used the business to illegally
import machineguns into the United States as machinegun component
parts.

According to the indictment, Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand also owned and
controlled two foreign companies Wiegand Ordnance GmbH, located in
Witten, Germany and Interordnance Waffenhandel GmbH, located in
Ferlach, Austria, which were used by Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand to
illegally import Russian-made PPSH 41 machinegun component parts into
the United States for subsequent sale by Interordnance of America. In
addition, the indictment alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand also
illegally imported FN FAL IMBEL and STEYR MP69 machineguns. The
indictment alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand imported the
machinegun component parts knowing that the machineguns had not been
destroyed according to ATF specifications. Further, the indictment
alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand sold these machineguns as
parts kits to customers throughout the United States knowing that the
component parts could be assembled as functional machineguns.
According to the indictment, Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand, through
Interordnance of America, sold over 2000 PPSH 41, over 1000 FN FAL
IMBEL and over 500 STEYR MP69 machineguns to customers throughout the
United States without conducting any background checks and without
recording any ownership registration information with the National
Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

The indictment also alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand and
Interordnance of America structured cash deposits in less than $10,000
increments in order to avoid the filing of currency transaction
reports which is required by financial institutions. In addition, the
indictment alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand and Interordnance
of America used monies from the sales of the illegally imported
machineguns in financial transactions to pay importation expenses,
income tax expenses, and payments to a German bank account in
violation of money laundering laws.

The indictment includes a Notice of Forfeiture that asks that the
defendants be required to forfeit to the United States all of the
property involved in the offenses charged in the indictment and all
property traceable to such offenses.

If convicted, the defendants face maximum statutory penalties as noted
on the bill of indictment attached to this announcement. It is
important to note that any sentence received upon conviction will be
determined by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Under U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines the court determines each defendant's actual
sentence based upon a formula that takes into account the severity
and characteristics of the offense, and each defendant's criminal
history, if any.

The indictment is the result of a two-year investigation by special
agents of ATF, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and
IRS/CID. Lester Martz, Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Field
Division of ATF, said, "ATF takes the illegal importation, possession,
and transfer of machineguns very seriously. We will continue to
identify and investigate any individual or company that engages in
this type activity. Many communities across the country are much
safer as a result of this investigation." Special Agent Charge
Michael Thomas of the Charlotte IRS/CID operations added
that, "IRS/CID, together with the law enforcement community, are
united in our resolve to prosecute and otherwise remove the financial
incentive to commit this type of crime."

Bob Conrad, United States Attorney for the Western District of North
Carolina summed it up by adding, "The illegal importation, possession,
and transfer of fully automatic machineguns pose a serious risk to law
enforcement and other citizens. We will vigorously prosecute any
attempt to smuggle illegal weapons into this country."

DEFENDANTS ARE ENTITLED TO A PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE UNDER THE LAW,
AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS THE BURDEN OF PROVING EVERY ELEMENT OF THE
CHARGES BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.

ULRICH H. WIEGAND
DOB: 10/6/69
Indian Trail, North Carolina

posted 02-06-2004 02:45 PM               

I wonder if this is the reason the last Sten MK III kit group buy hasn't been shipped from IO ??

posted 02-06-2004 05:08 PM               

I have also posted this on one of the other threads. First of all, the following is a DAMN lie!!!!!!!

"According to the indictment, Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand also owned and controlled two foreign companies Wiegand Ordnance GmbH, located in Witten, Germany and Interordnance Waffenhandel GmbH, located in Ferlach, Austria, which were used by Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand to illegally import Russian-made PPSH 41 machinegun component parts (parts, yes, but NOT MGS!!!!!) into the United States for subsequent sale by Interordnance of America. In addition, the indictment alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand also illegally imported FN FAL IMBEL and STEYR MP69 machineguns. The indictment alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand imported the machinegun component parts knowing that the machineguns had not been destroyed according to ATF specifications (a damn LIE!!!). Further, the indictment alleges that Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand sold these machineguns as parts kits to customers throughout the United States knowing that the component parts could be assembled as functional machineguns (a damn F*CKING lie!!!!!!). According to the indictment, Ulrich and Oliver Wiegand, through Interordnance of America, sold over 2000 PPSH 41, over 1000 FN FAL IMBEL and over 500 STEYR MP69 machineguns (a DAMN F*CKING lie) to customers throughout the United States without conducting any background checks (parts kits DO NOT need a background check as they are NOT a functional firearm, another damn F*CKING LIE) and without recording any ownership registration information with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record."

I had one of the PPsh41 kits (NOT a machinegun!!!!) that was SUPPOSED to be picked up by the ATF. It was NOT a machine gun!!! In fact, it did NOT include the cut up receiver parts, so there was NO WAY in hell that it could be classified as a "machine gun"!!! I had, at that time an OO (Ohio Ordnance) PPsh41 kit. I compared the two kits part for part and they were identical!!! The ONLY difference was that IO had cut up the barrel shroud to shreds!!!!
If fact the ATF agents did NOT give me the reason why they were picking up the kits and ultimately just the trunion!!!! It is quite obvious that the ATF DOES NOT follow their rules. If a there is a kit part or kit that violates some regulation as CLEARLY laid out by the thousands of rules and regulations that the ATF uses to enforced the laws, then what why was it NOT specified as to why these PPsh41 kits were to be picked up????? It is very clear to me that the ATF DOES NOT have to follow any rule, and they can take whatever they please, and NO questions asked!!!! If the ATF would follow their own rules by first specifying the nature of the visit, (phone call, or letter); second, specify the kit or part(s) from the kit that is in question; and finally the SPECIFIC reason why the particular kit or parts from the kit violate what rule or regulation, and if necessary give the specific reference to the regulation/rule/law number, I would have NO PROBLEM with the action of turning over whatever kit or parts kits that is in question. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!! They simply stated that wanted, initially, the whole kit, and finally just the trunion because, to the best that I could figure AT THAT TIME, "they felt like it"!!!!!!! This DOES NOT follow regulations, and is ILLEGAL in EVERY sense of the word!!!!!! Otherwise, why are there ANY rules or regulations on the books, as it quite obvious that they can TAKE ANYTHING at anytime they damn well please. This should be quite obviously a NO BRAINER!!!! If the Feds had specifically stated that these PPhs41 kits had been illegally imported (or whatever) and WHY, I would have been willing to accept that, but as I see it now, there is even a VERY serious question as to what were the factors were used to determined that the PPsh41 kits were “illegal”. Let me give a real simple example. I assume these kits were legally demilled before they were sold, either in the host country, or here in the U.S. at a warehouse that had been FULLY ATF approved!!! (The kit I had been demilled exactly like the one I had from OO). There seems to be a question of their origin. It has been suggested that these had originally come from Russia. Russia (or a company in Russia) sold these kits to Austria (or a company in Austria). This Austrian company then exported the kits to the U.S. I would ask the simple question about the various other kits that are of Russian origin, such as the Maxim kits, the DP-28 kits, and the Gorgunov kits. I know that the Maxim kits come out of Finland. I also know that the great majority if these Maxim MGs were captured during the Russia-Finnish War in the early forties or were purchased from other countries who also had captured these MGs. So, it is “legal” to export these MGs (and convert them to kits) if they were originally captured, but if a country such as Austria (or any other country that can legally export these kits to the U.S.), and did not capture them during some war (from Russia in this case), but purchased them, then it is deemed illegal???? I find that most interesting!!!!!
Most of what is being said in that letter it a lot of B.S., only the money laundering makes any sense. It is quite obvious to me that the Feds are out to shut down as many of the sellers as they can, and it will be just a matter of time before it will be a done deal!!!!! This is exactly what the Clinton, Schumer, Feinstein group want so they continue to propagate their damn lies, as if IO is selling FULLY FUNCTIONAL MGs to their customers!!!!!! I think not!!!!!! This is exactly what CNN tried to show for the Pre-Ban, by showing the Broward County Sheriff in Fla., and his buddy, shooting a FULL auto AK-47!!! At least the NRA pounced on that one!!!!!

My receiver was cut to ATF standards 3 cuts. this comes from the rule that I/o bought these from Russia and Russia did not own them or have possesion of them long enough to claim ownership. I think that is what is up. This is just the governmet trying to bully a gun company into submission. My .02 [/QUOTE]

posted 02-06-2004 07:27 PM               

Why the gall of them using their profits to pay bussiness expenses like Importation Expenses,Income Tax Expenses, and to top it off...sending their money to a German bank account....to think: Germans sending THEIR money to their bank account in Germany!!!!THE BASTARDS HOW DARE THEY!!!!!!