Monroe County man sentenced to 70 years for torture, gun charges

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — A Monroe County man was sentenced Monday to torture and illegally exporting weapons to Iraq.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Monday that 55-year-old Ross Roggio of Stroudsburg, Monroe County was sentenced to 70 years in prison for torturing an Estonian Man in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and illegally exporting weapon parts and related services.

According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, evidence was presented at trial that showed Roggio arranged for Kurdish soldiers to abduct and detain one of the victims at a military compound where Roggio suffocated the victim with a belt, threatened to cut off one of his fingers, and directed soldiers to continuously beat, choke, tase, and physically and mentally abuse the victim over 39 days.

Ross Roggio had his victim abducted and detained at a Kurdish military compound in Iraq, where Roggio and others physically and mentally tortured the victim over the course of 39 days. During that time, Roggio suffocated the victim and directed others to beat, choke, and tase him. Roggio’s victim worked at a weapons factory in Iraq, where Roggio illegally sent weapons parts and illegally provided services, in violation of export controls laws. Today’s sentence, following the second-ever conviction under the federal torture statute, shows that, no matter where such deplorable acts occur, the United States is committed to holding the perpetrators accountable.”

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Karam says the victim was an employee at a weapons factory Roggio was developing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq that was intended to make automatic pistols and rifles.

According to U.S. Officials, in connection with the weapons factory project, Roggio exported firearms, parts, and tools without the required permits from the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce, and he also illegally trained foreign employees in the operation, assembly, and manufacturing of M4 automatic rifles.

In May 2023, a federal jury convicted Roggio of 33 counts of torture , conspiracy to commit torture, conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., smuggling goods, exporting weapons parts and services to Iraq without the approval of the State Department, wire fraud, and other related charges.

Roggio is the second defendant to be convicted of torture since the federal statute went into effect in 1994.

“The sentence imposed by the Court demonstrates the seriousness of Ross Roggio’s crimes and brings some measure of justice for his torture victim. Violence against the dignity and human rights of any victim cannot be tolerated and our office will continue to prioritize and pursue those who would do so in violation of federal law,” added U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam.

Anyone with information about human rights violators in the United States is urged to contact law enforcement through the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)or the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or complete the FBI online tip form or the ICE online tip form .

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