May 19—SCRANTON — A federal jury convicted a Stroudsburg man Friday night of torturing an employee who raised concerns about the construction of a weapons manufacturing plant in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in 2015.

Ross Roggio was found guilty of conspiracy to commit torture, torture and dozens of weapons-related counts following six hours of deliberations Friday.

Roggio was indicted in September on charges he ordered Kurdish soldiers to abduct the victim, Siim Sebastian Saar, and hold him at a military compound, where he was brutalized over a five-week period from October to November 2015.

Roggio was also on trial for charges filed in 2018 that allege he conspired to illegally export firearm parts and tools to Iraq. Attorneys gave closing arguments Friday morning in the trial, which began May 8 before U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani.

According to an indictment, Roggio led multiple interrogation sessions during which he directed Kurdish soldiers to suffocate Saar, a native of Estonia, with a plastic bag, shock him in the groin area, beat him with fists and rubber hoses, force him to run barefoot on sharp gravel, and threaten to cut off one of his fingers. In one instance, Roggio wrapped his belt around Saar's neck and hoisted him into the air until he lost consciousness.

In his closing argument, Roggio's attorney, Gino Bartolai, acknowledged Roggio took part in the torture sessions, but argued he did so under duress because he feared he would be harmed. Duress is a legal defense for breaking the law in certain circumstances.

"How do I say what Ross Roggio did was OK? It's not," Bartolai told jurors. "He was trying to get out of a situation by any means he could. ... Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Scott Claffee, an attorney with the Department of Justice's national security division, refuted Bartolai's characterization of Roggio's conduct. The reality, he said, is Roggio wanted to punish Saar for being disloyal and send a message to other employees they would suffer the same fate if they did not obey him.

"These are the actions of a man who knew exactly what he was doing," Claffee said.

Mariani began instructing jurors shortly before noon on the legal standards to evaluate all the charges. The panel began deliberations around 2:30 p.m. and rendered the verdict about 8:30. In a statement following the verdict, U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam said it proves justice has no borders.

"Roggio's brutal acts of directing and participating in the torture of an employee over the course of 39 days by Kurdish soldiers simply could not avoid justice," Karam said.

FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY, staff writer, contributed to this report.

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tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137;

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