An Ivorian national has been handed over to U.S. authorities to face charges for his alleged involvement in a scheme to illegally traffic firearms and related parts out of the country. According to a U.S. Department of Justice announcement, 49-year-old Bile Jean Philippe Assemian was extradited from Kenya on September 26 after being arrested by Kenyan officials on June 26 at the behest of the U.S.
Arrested in Kenya on June 26, Assemian's first court appearance in the United States took place on September 26. His alleged co-conspirator, Koffi Andrea Versaint Taregue, who is a 45-year-old Ivorian national with permanent U.S. resident status, is still on the run. The superseding indictment alleges that over a period spanning November 2018 to October 2020, they acquired at least 58 firearms in Northern Ohio and other places, by enlisting others to purchase them or buying them directly.
The firearms were purportedly hidden within household goods and shipped using an export company, which was unaware of the illicit content, as Assemian and Taregue did not declare the firearms for export nor did they possess the necessary approvals or licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce or U.S. Department of State. United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio and FBI Cleveland Division's Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen made the original indictment public.
Assemian faces a maximum sentence of five years for his charge of conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States. Taregue is looking at a much steeper sentence of up to 205 years, charging him with conspiracy along with six counts each of smuggling and control of arms exports and imports, and one count each of unlicensed firearms dealing, making false statements to the FBI, and falsifying statements during a firearm purchase. If convicted, U.S. District Court will take into account each defendant’s criminal record, their role in the offense, and other case characteristics, to determine their sentence.
This case is the result of an investigation led by the Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the FBI Cleveland Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and ATF agents. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations also provided support. Assistant United States Attorney Segev Phillips is prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio, with assistance from Trial Attorney Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs played a crucial role in securing Assemian's arrest and extradition, as did multiple Kenyan agencies and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Nairobi. Both defendants stand presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt according to law.
