LAS VEGAS (AP) - A former U.S. Navy SEAL commando has been
sentenced to 17 ½ years in federal prison for heading a scheme to
sell machine guns, explosives and military hardware from Iraq and
Afghanistan in the United States.

Nicholas Bickle was also sentenced Tuesday to three years of
supervised release by U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt in Las Vegas.

A federal jury found the 34-year-old Bickle guilty last October
of 13 federal conspiracy and arms trafficking charges.

He returned home to San Diego where he received an "other than
honorable" military discharge and surrendered to federal
authorities.

Convicted former co-defendants Richard Paul of Durango, Colo.,
and Andrew Kaufman of Las Vegas face sentencing Wednesday.

They cooperated with prosecutors, along with Las Vegas resident
Omar Aguirre. He's serving five years in prison.

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