Flaviu Georgescu arrived at U.S. District Court in Manhattan Friday afternoon in a beige prison jumpsuit, shackled around the waist and hands, with his head bowed.
Earlier this year, a jury convicted Georgescu in this same courtroom on terrorism charges. Federal prosecutors accused Georgescu of helping organize a complex weapons deal involving DEA informants posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated terrorist organization.
Since his arrest, Georgescu has maintained his innocence, claiming that he had been working undercover for the CIA and pointing to phone calls he had made to the agency as proof of his cooperation.
Georgescu faced a possible life sentence.
![Romanian-born Virgil Flaviu Georgescu is seen in an undated picture released by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. Georgescu was convicted on U.S. charges that he conspired with two former European officials to sell $15 million worth of weapons to undercover informants posing as Colombian rebels. U.S. Attorney's Office/Handout via Reuters (Newscom TagID: rtrlseven886590.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]](https://prod01-cdn07.cdn.firstlook.org/wp-uploads/sites/1/2016/11/flavu-portrait-1.jpg)
Romanian-born Virgil Flaviu Georgescu is seen in an undated picture.
“While we’re disappointed in the sentencing decision, Mr. Georgescu will be pursuing an appeal on various grounds and looks forward to vindicating himself at a new trial,” his lawyer, Steven Witzel, said following the hearing.
In their arguments at the sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors called for Georgescu to receive a lengthy prison term, alleging that he had “worked tirelessly” to engineer an arms deal with the FARC that, if real, would have resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens.
But the deal Georgescu tried to arrange was in fact part of a sting operation. Georgescu had never been in touch with actual FARC members at any point during the investigation. His interlocutors in the deal were undercover DEA operatives with decades of experience conducting stings. While the government conceded that Georgescu had not initiated the deal himself, and that no one had been harmed in the case, prosecutors argued that “sting or no sting, this was a very serious offense.”
In 2012, Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison following a DEA sting that also involved undercover agents posing as FARC members. Unlike Bout, however, Georgescu is not alleged to have engaged in arms deals in the past, and he does not have a history of criminal activity. As Judge Abrams noted at the hearing, Georgescu has had a history of voluntary cooperation with the government, including serving several years as an FBI informant in Nevada.
The judge further noted that the government, through the solicitation of its informants, initiated the arms deal. However, Judge Abrams dismissed Georgescu’s claim that he was himself working as an undercover CIA operative, attempting to gather information for the government.
The sentence was far less than the possible life imprisonment Georgescu could have received, but still constitutes a significant prison term.
Despite his conviction, Georgescu continues to insist that his attempts to report the arms deal to the CIA are proof that he had been working on behalf the government, or at least proof that he believed he was. “My actions were to help the United States government and the citizens of the United States,” Georgescu told the court in a brief statement at the hearing.
“I have always maintained my innocence,” he said.
Top photo: Some of the 9,517 weapons seized from FARC and ELN guerrillas are seen before being melted in National Steel Factory furnaces in Colombia.
Going to jail for selling weapons, another reason the Cooperations have too much power. The corrupt US cooperation did gun deals in some parts of Africa and Yemen before drone striking the created terrorist groups. I’d say if you are self sovereign, the cooperations would have a hard time locking you up. They would lock you up anyway unfortunately. The corporations of the world are TERRORIZING the people therefore the COOPERATIONS are TERRORISTS.
It beats chasing and prosecuting dangerous criminals.
Sound like the worlds biggest dumb ass
I have no idea if this man worked for the US government in some secret, undercover, weapons selling way. But why would anyone think that it is a good idea? They stab people in the back all the time. The government’s corruption, narcissism, greed and their lust for power should really make people reconsider this option.
And how does helping this government to destroy people’s lives around the world make you a good American? A good American would say no to the CIA or whoever when asked to help them continue our imperial bullshit around the globe.
It really does sound a lot like working for the mafia. Sure it’s all top-shelf drugs and prostitutes for awhile…until your best friend whacks you in his mother’s basement.
The Globe is a Hoax.
Earth is Flat.
-The Nasa Cables-
If Georgescu has worked as an informant for the FBI and doing the CIA’s dirty business, why would we shed tears over his incarceration? If you play for profit in the labyrinth of Empire, then the price of participation is the likelihood of being burned by their political expediencies. If the CIA or FBI had not considered him expendable, then we would never have heard of him; the Empire’s justiciars stamp their imprimatur on the whims of the enforcers.
Is it possible that the DEA officers convinced him he was working for the CIA as to ensure the success of their missiona and guarantee an arrest?
America’s prisons are filled with people claiming that the CIA approved what they did. Unfortunately, they were working for the wrong agency. Only paid FBI informants receive automatic immunity from prosecution.
Remember, if you will, can, or wish to recall, all the former good guys, “our guys” who are now hung or otherwise disposed of. Noriega, Hussein, bin Laden, Qadaffi, Marcos, just for a whiff. If one can recall – and the sheer volume of those displaced, just the “leaders”, is numbing – it’s a bit of a trick to do so because of the episodic and regular compacting nature of (the U.S.) Empire… New meme-ing to “Crush It”.
There’s a certain naivety in the notion that one would claim to work for the CIA as a mark of any kind of innocence. Frankly, after hearing that, I wish his sentence had been longer.
In other words, all of the janitors, IT auditors, foreign language instructors, sign language interpreters, physicians, psychiatrists, and polygraph examiners employed by the CIA deserve to go to jail.
As do all current and future applicants at the Agency.
It occurs to me, Nick, a lot of Americans believe non-extremist Muslims everywhere should be doing far more to stop the criminally violent extremists among them.
And yet I somehow find it unsurprisingly hypocritical that same task is no longer demanded of empire’s elected leaders, its CIA, its military, its law enforcement or its white people in general.
May The Intercept be plagued with whistleblowers!
Sure, go with that.
This whole caper smells bad. Surely the stingers KNEW of his history working with the US. Maybe they figure he went rogue? In any case, he is charged with attempt, planning, possible this and that – all of which if played out may have resulted in a gun battle between the stingers and the CIA – typical left hand right hand discombobulation. What i get out of this is NEVER volunteer in anything without written advance approval, job description, payment, and signed by them and your attorney.
We’ll never hear about this guy again. Until he’s killed in prison.
The Intercept has started to employ very stupid journalists. How does working for CIA absolve anyone from criminal behavior? He was plain greedy and must pay for it by prison time. I would suggest that if Intercept whiners come across people with such propensities they must call 911 and report them to proper authorities.
You show a remarkable inability to appropriately distinguish between reportage, and advocacy.
The US State Department is the world’s largest arms dealer by far.
The US government doesn’t give a crap about anybody or any nation. You are their friend as long as you are of more use to them than somebody else. Then you will get thrown under the bus when it is opportune.
Kinda like every other government that has ever existed.