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OC Ex-Marine Denies Charges In Weapons Bust

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal officials say they have arrested three former Marines for selling illegal assault weapons to a Los Angeles street gang.

The arrests were announced Tuesday, a week after a Navy SEAL in San Diego and two others were charged with smuggling machine guns from Iraq for sale on the black market.

Authorities say Adam Gitschlag, the suspected ringleader among the former Marines, was arrested Nov. 2 at his Orange County home.

Investigative documents obtained by The Associated Press state that Gitschlag oversaw the sale of two cases containing firearms. The weapons included an AK-47, two Russian and Romanian variants of the weapon and two other semiautomatic rifles.

Gitschlag denies the accusations, calling himself a patriot.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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