Massachusetts Man Indicted for Illegally Transporting Ammunition Primers
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 24, 2011 |
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John V. Gilles, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Marlies T. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Transportation (DOT), announce the January 20, 2010, indictment of Orville Andrew Braham, 38, of Brockton, Massachusetts, in connection with his transportation in his luggage of ammunition primers, which caused an explosion at the Miami International Airport on December 28, 2010. The defendant was previously arrested and charged by complaint. He was arraigned Friday, January 21, 2011, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick White.
The indictment charges defendant Braham with transporting explosives, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §842(a)(3)(A) (Count 1); transporting ammunition without written notice to the carrier, in violation of Title 18 U.S.C. §922(e) (Count 2); willfully or recklessly transporting hazardous materials, in violation of Title 49 U.S.C. §46312 (Count 3); and transporting explosives, in violation of Title 49 U.S.C. §46505(b)(3) (Count 4).
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, on December 28, 2010, Braham boarded an American Airlines flight from Boston, Massachusetts, to Miami, Florida, with an ultimate destination of Kingston, Jamaica. Braham checked two pieces of luggage and carried on two pieces of luggage. After the flight landed at Miami International Airport, an American Airlines baggage handler, who was unloading the luggage, picked up one of Braham’s suitcases from the aircraft and placed it on the ground. The suitcase exploded on the ground. The explosion caused shrapnel to be imbedded in the shoe of the baggage handler. Further examination of Braham’s suitcase revealed that hundreds of .45 caliber ammunition primers inside the suitcase detonated upon impact, triggering the explosion. An ammunition primer is the component of a round of ammunition that initiates the explosive charge that expels a bullet from a firearm. It is considered an explosive, ammunition, and hazardous material.
Agents then searched Braham’s other checked suitcase and found hundreds of .45 caliber ammunition primers in a plastic bag concealed in the lining of the suitcase. Also concealed in the lining of the suitcase were the components of a disassembled ammunition reloading press. Other components of the ammunition reloading press were found in a zippered compartment and wrapped in items of clothing concealed throughout the suitcase. An ammunition reloading press is used to assemble component parts, including ammunition primers, to create ammunition. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline Arango.
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.