Former Bradley County deputy and U.S. Marine Matthew Pickett will learn in January what punishment he faces for smuggling two assault rifles and some hand grenades back home from Iraq.
The 33-year-old pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of smuggling in federal court. He could face up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine for the crime.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2011, at 9 a.m.
“Those weapons were brought back from a war and they’re fully automatic assault rifles,” said Ed Galloway, FBI resident agent-in-charge. “Those and grenades have no place in everyday society.”
Galloway, whose father served in the U.S. Army, dismissed critics who’ve called the smuggling a case of a veteran keeping a war trophy. The type of rifles – two AK-47s – and the grenades “escalate” the circumstances, he said.