Maryland resident sentenced to over five years in federal prison for illegally transporting firearms with obliterated serial numbers and smuggling firearms to Nigeria
A judge sentenced 42-year-old Eric Fru Nji, of Fort Washington, to 63 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy, for transporting firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and for smuggling firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria, according to the news release.
The judge also ordered Nji to pay a fine of $25,000. Nji was convicted of those charges on May 6, 2022, along with co-defendants Wilson Nuyila Tita, age 47, of Owings Mills, Maryland, and Wilson Che Fonguh, age 41, of Bowie, Maryland, after a two-week trial.
Officials say, according to the evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2017 through July 19, 2019, Nji and his co-defendants conspired with each other and with others to export firearms, ammunition, and other military-typed items from the United States to Nigeria. Specifically, the evidence at trial established that Nji and his co-conspirators secreted 38 firearms, 28 of which had obliterated serial numbers in a shipping container that they sent out of the Port of Baltimore in January 2019.
The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles (some with bayonets), other rifles, and several handguns. There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes, and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition.
Fonguh, Tita, and seven defendants charged in related cases are awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI and the ATF for their work in the investigation.