The Smyth v. Milchan case refers to the criminal prosecution of Richard Kelly Smyth for the illegal export of approximately 800-810 krytrons—high-speed switches usable as nuclear detonation triggers—from the U.S. to Israel between January 1980 and 1982. Smyth, president of Milco International Inc. in Huntington Beach, California, shipped the devices without required State Department export licenses to Heli Trading Co. Ltd. in Tel Aviv, owned by Arnon Milchan, as part of 'Project Pinto' to supply Israel's Ministry of Defense for its nuclear weapons program. Indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles division, with sentencing in Santa Ana) on approximately 30 counts, including 15 violations of the Arms Export Control Act and 15 counts of making false statements, Smyth fled the U.S. in August 1985 after posting bail, living as a fugitive in Spain until arrested by Interpol in July 2001 and extradited. He pleaded guilty in December 2001 to two counts of making false statements, receiving a 40-month federal prison sentence (with immediate parole eligibility due to time served and health issues) and a $20,000 fine on April 30, 2002. Israel returned about 500 unused krytrons to the U.S. Milchan was identified as a co-conspirator but never charged, reportedly due to Israeli protection; he denied knowledge of the krytrons' nuclear use, calling them 'small little gizmos.' The case, which first publicly exposed Milchan's role in Israeli intelligence procurement for LAKAM, is a criminal matter with no evidence of a separate civil lawsuit titled 'Smyth v. Milchan' or 'Milchan v. Smyth'; such references appear colloquial.