Turkish man charged by US in alleged arms fraud

CLIFTON, New Jersey

A U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Assault Vehicle, assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22 MEU), exits the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4). Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A Turkish man who owned two New Jersey-based defense contracting businesses has been charged with entering into fraudulent contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, a local newspaper reported Sept. 15.

Alper Çalık, 38, appeared in federal court in Trenton on Sept. 15 after being arrested on Sept. 13 as he entered the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutors said, according to NorthJersey.com.

Çalık, who co-owns Clifmax LLC in Clifton, is charged with attempting to provide made-in-Turkey spare parts for an amphibious assault vehicle to the U.S. Department of Defense in spite of the contracts signed by his companies which stated that they must be produced by U.S.-based manufacturers.

Çalık, who is also charged with downloading drawings for parts of a nuclear-powered attack submarine, faces 20 years in prison for each of the counts and fines of up to $1 million.

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