The United States criminally prosecuted Richard Kelly Smyth, an aerospace engineer and president of Milco International Inc. (Huntington Beach, CA), for illegally exporting approximately 800 krytrons—high-speed switches usable as nuclear weapon detonator triggers—without required State Department licenses to Heli Trading Company Ltd. in Tel Aviv, Israel, between 1979 and 1983. The shipments totaled 15 orders worth about $60,000. Smyth was indicted on 30 felony counts (15 counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. § 2778, and 15 counts of false statements to U.S. Customs Service, 18 U.S.C. § 1001). Shortly after indictment and release on bail, Smyth and his wife fled the U.S. He remained a fugitive for 16 years until arrested in Málaga, Spain, in July 2001 while applying for social security benefits. Extradited to the U.S. in November 2001, he pleaded not guilty on November 26, 2001, then changed to a guilty plea on December 28, 2001, to one count each of the charged offenses. On April 29, 2002, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced the then-72-year-old Smyth to 40 months in prison and a $20,000 fine; he was released shortly thereafter due to time served equivalency and poor health. Smyth v. Milchan is a related civil aspect of the case.