Accessibility links

Breaking News

Iraq: Seller Of Fake Bomb Detectors Jailed In Britain


British businessman James McCormick was jailed for 10 years on May 2.
British businessman James McCormick was jailed for 10 years on May 2.
A British man has been jailed for 10 years for selling fake bomb detectors, many of them to the Iraqi government.

A London judge said on May2 that James McCormick had perpetrated a "callous confidence trick."

McCormick is believed to have made almost $78 million from the scam, selling almost $40 million worth of the devices to Iraq alone.

The judge said the fraud "promoted a false sense of security" and led to deaths and injuries.

The prosecution said the devices, which sold for up to $42,000 each, claimed to be able to find explosives under water and from the air, but "lacked any grounding in science" and were no better than trying to detect explosives at random.

The devices were marketed to governments around the world and were also acquired by the United Nations

Based on reporting by AP and the BBC

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG