MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Amir Mohamed Alsaidi, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty in federal court today to unlawful cigarette smuggling, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced.
Alsaidi participated in a cigarette smuggling operation designed to transport large quantities of cigarettes across state lines for redistribution and sale. He pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Traffic in Contraband Cigarettes” and faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Stein and Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. Homeland Security Investigations, the Frederick County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Office of Attorney General, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the West Virginia State Police, the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service led the investigation.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.