U.S. Department of Justice Marcos Daniel Jiménez United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida
	99 N.E. 4th Street Miami, FL 33132 (305) 961-9001

MAN SENTENCED FOR ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT VIOLATION

Marcos Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Jesus Torres (Miami) and Roberto G. Medina (Puerto Rico), Special Agents in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced today that defendant, David Tomkins, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Adalberto Jordan to serve a term of thirty-three (33) months’ imprisonment for conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act, in violation of Title 22, United States Code, Section 2778, and Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

Tomkins, a native of England, pleaded guilty on June 29, 2004 to conspiring to export a Dragonfly A37 turbojet light-attack aircraft from the United States in 1991 without first obtaining an export license. Tomkins was arrested on August 31, 2003 when he attempted to enter the United States at George Bush International Airport in Houston, Texas, after a nearly 13 year absence from the United States. In 1991, Tomkins sought to purchase an aircraft that could carry up to eight (8) five-hundred (500) pound bombs to be dropped onto a prison outside Cali, Colombia in order to assassinate Medellin Cartel drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who was then being held by the Colombian government at the prison, known as “El Catedral.” At the June 29, 2004 hearing before Judge Jordan, Tomkins admitted to participating in the scheme by trying to procure the Dragonfly aircraft in violation of United States law controlling the exportation of munitions.

Mr. Jiménez commended the investigative efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Randy Hummel and John Schlesinger.

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 District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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