Hialeah Man Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Possess Stolen Firearms, Including Fully Automatic Weapons and Explosives

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, and Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, announced that defendant Yanny Aguila Urbay, 24, of Hialeah, was found guilty today by a jury of conspiracy to possess stolen, fully automatic M-16s, AK-47s and silencers, and receiving grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks on March 22, 2011. Urbay faces a possible statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison.

According to the evidence at trial, in April 2009, an FBI confidential source told agents that two individuals, Abdalaziz Hamayel and co-conspirator Yanny Aguila Urbay, wanted to purchase large quantities of automatic weapons. The confidential source then introduced an undercover law enforcement officer (UC) to Hamayel and Urbay as the purported supplier of fully automatic, stolen weapons. At their first meeting with the UC in May 2009, Hamayel and Urbay requested 200- 300 fully automatic assault rifles, grenades and homemade bombs with detonation capability from a distance.

On June 11, 2009, the UC met with Hamayel and showed him examples of the weapons he requested for purchase, specifically, an AK -47, two M-16s, two grenades, and two detonators for IEDs. The UC explained that he had an engineer who made the IEDs. On June 12, at Hamayel’s request, the UC provided a photo to Hamayel of what he had shown him the day before in order for Hamayel to show the buyers of the weapons.

On June 19, 2009, Hamayel left the country. When Hamayel returned to the United States on August 30, 2010, he was arrested by federal authorities. He pled guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 22, 2011.

United States Attorney Wifredo Ferrer stated, “Individuals who seek to deal in illegal arms pose a danger to our national security and that of other nations. We will investigate and prosecute these cases vigorously."

FBI Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies stated, “This case shows the FBI's commitment to investigating those who conspire to traffic in illegal firearms that pose threats to US interests.”

ATF Special Agent in Charge Hugo Barrera stated, “This case highlights the joint efforts of state local and federal law enforcement in combating the illicit trafficking of firearms to terrorist organizations.”

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ATF. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Sherwin and Karen Gilbert.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

This article was sponsored by Police Writers.