May 22—HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania man faces federal prison after a jury convicted the 54-year-old Stroudsburg resident of torture of an Estonian citizen in 2015 in Iraq, in connection with the operation of an illegal weapons manufacturing plant in Kurdistan, according to Department of Justice officials.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ross Roggio arranged for Kurdish soldiers to abduct and detain the victim at a Kurdish military compound where Roggio suffocated the victim with a belt, threatened to cut off one of his fingers, and directed Kurdish soldiers to repeatedly beat, tase, choke, and otherwise physically and mentally abuse the victim over a 39-day period, officials said.

The victim was employed at a weapons factory that Roggio was developing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq intended to manufacture weapons, justice officials said.

Roggio also illegally exported firearm parts that were controlled for export by the Departments of State and Commerce, according to a press release.

"Roggio brutally tortured another human being to prevent interference with his illegal activities," Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said. "Thanks to the courage of the victim and other witnesses, the hard work of U.S. law enforcement, and the assistance of Estonian authorities, he will now be held accountable for his cruelty."

Middle District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Gerard Karam said he was thankful to all prosecutors and law enforcement.

"(The) guilty verdict demonstrates that Roggio's brutal acts of directing and participating in the torture of an employee over the course of 39 days by Kurdish soldiers could not avoid justice," Karam said. Karam said the milestone conviction was the result of the "extraordinary courage of the victim, who came forward after the defendant inflicted unspeakable pain on him for more than a month."

Director Luis Quesada of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division said, "Torture is among the most heinous crimes the FBI investigates, and together with our partners at the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, we will relentlessly pursue justice."Roggio was convicted of torture, conspiracy to commit torture, conspiring to commit an offense against the United States, exporting weapons parts and services to Iraq without the approval of the U.S. Department of State, exporting weapons tools to Iraq without the approval of the U.S. Department of Commerce, smuggling goods, wire fraud, and money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 23 and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Roggio is the second defendant to be convicted of torture since the federal torture statute went into effect in 1994.