Two Defendants Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Illegally Export Weapons to South Sudan

Today, Peter Biar Ajak, 42, of Maryland, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sharad H. Desai for the District of Arizona to 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Ajak's co-defendant, Abraham Chol Keech, 46, of Utah, was sentenced on Dec. 18, 2025, by Judge Desai to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Both defendants previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and Conspiracy to Violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA).

"From a suburb of our Nation's capital, Ajak conspired to export U.S. weaponry to South Sudan, where he planned to lead a coup and install himself in power," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. "Ajak discussed ways to conceal his conduct, which he knew was illegal, including by misrepresenting financial transactions as attempts to provide humanitarian aid. The National Security Division is committed to prosecuting violations of U.S. export control laws to ensure that U.S. weapons do not fall into the wrong hands."

"The defendants in this case sought to bypass U.S. export control laws, with Mr. Ajak directing a conspiracy that amassed a $4M arsenal of military-grade weapons intended to effect a coup d'état of South Sudan," said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona. "Thanks to federal prosecutors, agents and investigators from across the spectrum of U.S. government agencies, the plot was thwarted and the defendants were brought to justice, safeguarding our national security interests."

"By disrupting an attempt to unlawfully export advanced weapons systems, this investigation helped protect U.S. forces from weapons that could potentially be utilized against them on future battlefields," said John Helsing, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's Western Field Office. "As the investigative arm of DoD's Office of Inspector General, DCIS remains fully committed to safeguarding DoD equities and ensuring that military-grade weapons do not fall into the hands of those who would endanger American service members."

"The defendants in this investigation knowingly sought to undermine national security by violating U.S. laws related to illegal arms trafficking and the export of weapons," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona. "As part of HSI's core mission to investigate illicit transfers of arms to countries in turmoil, these conspirators attempted to destabilize national and international peace and security. HSI and our partners remain committed to pursuing charges against those who violate these laws."

As defendants admitted in their plea agreements, between at least February 2023 and March 2024, Keech and Ajak sought to illegally purchase and export nearly $4 million worth of export-controlled, military grade weapons and ammunition from the United States to South Sudan without the required export licenses. Defendants sought to provide these weapons and ammunition - which included ten Stinger missile systems, two hundred grenade launchers, more than a thousand machine guns and rifles, and over 3.5 million rounds of ammunition - to opposition groups in South Sudan seeking to topple the current South Sudanese government. Defendants planned to install Ajak as the country's new president after the regime change.

Defendants knew South Sudan was subject to an arms embargo and that exporting weapons and ammunition from the United States to South Sudan without a license from the U.S. government would violate U.S. law. To facilitate their smuggling scheme, defendants discussed paying bribes and disguising the weapons as humanitarian aid. Defendants also created a fake invoice to conceal from financial institutions and others the source and purpose of the funds used to purchase and smuggle the illicit arms. As part of their plea agreement, defendants agreed to forfeit nearly $2 million they raised to pay for the weapons, which was seized by the United States.

HSI, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Commerce's Office of Export Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy C. Chang, Raymond K. Woo, M. Bridget Minder, and Joseph F. Bozdech for the District of Arizona, and Trial Attorney Leslie C. Esbrook of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.