ST. LOUIS – A former Missouri-based Defense Department contractor faces probation and fines after he illegally acquired military parts from foreign counties, violating export control laws.

A federal judge sentenced David Murar, 73, to five years of probation and $50,000 in fines on Tuesday.

Murar, a contractor from St. Charles County, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Investigators say Murar undercut domestic suppliers by sourcing parts from China and other foreign countries. He reportedly provided restricted and protected information, such as military diagrams and technical data, to foreign individuals to obtain those parts.

According to his plea, Murar received parts at his home, then discarded original packaging and repackaged the parts to conceal their origin from overseas.

Investigators say Murar falsified business ownership for at least nine U.S. government contracts and used his wife’s name at least once to gain a competitive advantage in completing a contract.

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In a statement read to the court, the Defense Logistics Agency said it must now obtain replacements from responsible contractors while the military services wait for parts to support their weapon systems. The statement reads, “It is, of course, always possible that the non-conforming parts make their way into weapon systems before DLA can identify them, which may affect safety and military readiness.”

The agency added it does “not believe there is a way to quantify the harm, but the impacts to national security are nonetheless tangible and real.”

The U.S. Department of Justice says Murar had already repaid $166,000 leading up to his verdict.

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