Patrick Germain has pleaded guilty to trying to illegally export guns to Haiti, federal prosecutors announced on Friday. Germain, 45, admitted to trying to export 16 handguns, five shotguns, a rifle and ammunition from Evanston (Chicago) to Haiti through Miami, Florida, according the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison at a sentencing hearing scheduled for next year on Jan. 29. Germain built a plywood container, filled it with the guns and ammunition he bought in June 2016 and hid the box in a cargo van, prosecutors said.
The van delivered the box to a shipping company in Miami, but it was seized by law enforcement officials before it could be shipped to Haiti.