Soldier Accused of Smuggling Machine Guns From Iraq

WJLA 7

A soldier from Bowie is accused of smuggling machine guns out of Iraq that were later used in a series of local bank robberies.

Prosecutors say 26-year-old Leonard Lockley was arrested Tuesday on charges of receiving, possessing, and selling machine guns while on active duty near Baghdad.

According to court documents, a witness in 2003 saw Lockley placing four disassembled AK-47-style rifles into a large black metal chest with a false bottom. The witness said Lockley told him that he had the chest made and was using it to send the weapons to the U.S.

The court documents state that when Lockley returned home in 2004, he sold some of the weapons, which were later used in the bank robberies.

Lockley faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted.