In early 2004, Karni was accused by the
United States of being part of a conspiracy to sell stolen
nuclear material. He was arrested while on holiday with his family in
Denver,
Colorado. Chief Judge
Thomas F. Hogan ordered Karni released on US$100,000 bail to
Silver Spring,
Maryland, having agreed to waive diplomatic immunity and wear an electronic surveillance device, but the US Government moved to have that ruling overturned. Karni was accused of selling 200
triggered spark gaps to Humayun Khan, a
Pakistani man believed connected to a larger terrorist group in
Jammu and
Kashmir. The nuclear
black market is believed to be very tightly knit and to have been headed by
Abdul Qadeer Khan, a major figurehead of the Pakistani nuclear program, who was accused of illicitly transferring nuclear technology to multiple states such as
Iran and
North Korea. On August 4, 2005 Karni was sentenced to three years in prison for the sale of restricted equipment to companies in India and Pakistan. His defense team requested eighteen months. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Urbina told Karni that although he now believes Karni's deeds might have been done innocently, the longer sentence was to "send a message", and Karni's cooperation kept it from being longer. ==References==