RIVERSIDE (CBS) — A former Marine has been found guilty of possessing a chrome-plated machine gun that once belonged to a member of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s royal guard.

Former Staff Sgt. Joel Cleve Miller, 40, was convicted of illegally possessing the AK-47 on June 29, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen Chiu.

It is illegal to posses a machine gun in the United States, Chiu said in a statement.

Miller allegedly smuggled the gun into the country following a 14-month tour in 2005, according to The Press Enterprise.

Miller, of Hemet, will be sentenced on Sept. 27 in Riverside federal court. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Miller was stationed at Twentynine Palms and was a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He was discharged with “bad conduct” from the service in 2011, the Enterprise reported.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)