Ex-Marine Found Guilty Of Possessing Stolen AK-47 Belonging To Saddam Hussein's Guards

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.

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