Richard Kelly Smyth was an American physicist, avionics expert, and aerospace engineer who served as a consultant to NASA, NATO, and the U.S. Air Force on aerospace guidance technology. He held a top security clearance and was president of Milco International Inc., based in Huntington Beach, California, an exporter of aerospace technology and a leading contractor to the U.S. government. Between 1980 and 1982, Smyth illegally shipped 810 krytrons—high-speed switches usable as nuclear weapon detonators or triggers—without required U.S. State Department export licenses to Heli Trading Co. in Israel, owned by arms dealer and film producer Arnon Milchan, via Milchan's companies. In May 1985, at age 55, he was indicted on 30 felony counts: 15 for violating the Arms Export Control Act and 15 for false statements to U.S. Customs. Fearing up to 105 years in prison, Smyth and his wife, Emilie, fled the U.S. a week before his trial, abandoning their expensive Orange County home. They lived as retirees for 16 years in Málaga, Spain, using their real names; Smyth served as vice president of the American Club in Málaga, and they registered to vote in local elections, surviving on Social Security and family gifts from his grown children who assisted with his business paperwork. In July 2001, aged 72, Smyth was arrested in Spain after opening a bank account that triggered an Interpol alert; he suffered two strokes while in custody awaiting extradition. Extradited to the U.S., he pleaded not guilty in November 2001 but changed to guilty in December on reduced charges. On April 29, 2002, U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Rymer sentenced him to 40 months in federal prison and a $20,000 fine, with immediate parole eligibility due to frail health. Smyth apologized, calling it a 'grave error' and expressing panic over media reports. He was convicted for smuggling the krytrons to Israel.