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A man from North Korea arrested in Hawaii and charged with trying to illegally export military-grade night vision goggles has been sentenced to more than three years in a federal prison.
Song Il Kim was sentenced Thursday to 40 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dee Benson, who also ordered Kim to forfeit his cell phone and $16,000 in cash, and complete a 500-hour drug rehabilitation program.
Kim pleaded guilty in December to violating federal exportation laws.
Prosecutors say he agreed to pay a Utah-based undercover agent $22,000 for six goggles that he would send to his business in China. Kim was arrested after meeting with an undercover agent in Honolulu.
Prosecutors say they believe the equipment would have ended up in North Korea, though defense attorney Scott C. Williams has disputed that.
Authorities dropped a smuggling charge in exchange for Kim's guilty plea to a violation of the arms export control act.
Court documents say Kim was born in North Korea, holds a Cambodian passport and lives in China.