Blackwater Settles Arms Case

The controversial military contractor formerly known as Blackwater has agreed to pay a $7.5 million fine in order to settle federal criminal charges related to arms smuggling, sales, and other crimes, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. The settlement from the company, which now goes by the name Academi LLC, covers a list of violations including unauthorized military training provided to foreign governments, illegal possession of automatic weapons, unauthorized sales of satellite phones in Sudan, illegally shipping body armor overseas, and lying about weapons provided to the king of Jordan. Seventeen charges were brought against Academi following a five-year investigation.