12-29-1

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former U.S. Air Force advisor who fled the United States 16 years ago to avoid prosecution, pleaded guilty in Los Angeles Federal Court Friday to illegally exporting nuclear triggers to Israel.

Richard Kelly Smyth, 72, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Arms Export Control Act and one count of making false statements to the Secret Service.

He faces up to seven years in prison. Sentencing is set for Feb. 28. Smyth has been in custody since being extradited from Spain on Nov. 16.

The case against him stems from his illegal shipment in 1982 of Kryptons, small devices that transfer precise bursts of energy and can be used to trigger nuclear devices.

At the time of the offense, Kryptons were on the United States Munitions List, which meant they could not be exported without a license or written approval from the State Department.

The government agreed to dismiss 28 other counts in the 1985 indictment against him and agreed not to prosecute Smyth for fleeing the country just before his trial.