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Filmmaker testifies Navy SEAL gave him AK-47
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Peter Berg
Filmmaker directed "Friday Night Lights," "Hancock" and "The Kingdom"
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Filmmaker Peter Berg testified Thursday in Las Vegas and said Navy SEAL Nicholas Bickle gave him an AK-47 as a "trophy weapon" in 2009 after the pair developed a friendship in Iraq.
"It was probably the greatest honor I could think of," Berg told the jury. "I had an extraordinary time when I was in Iraq."
The filmmaker's testimony came during the fourth day of Bickle's trial in an arms smuggling case. Federal prosecutors allege Bickle, a San Diego-based SEAL, smuggled machine guns and other weapons into the country from Iraq for his own profit.
Berg directed such films as "Friday Night Lights," "The Kingdom" and "Hancock." He also developed the "Friday Night Lights" television series. As an actor, he played Dr. Billy Kronk on the television drama "Chicago Hope."
Although Berg testified for the prosecution, he said he still considers Bickle a friend. He also credits Bickle, a petty officer 1st class, with saving his life and the lives of others in Iraq.
"Nick's done a lot of things right in his life, and I'm very sorry for the entire situation," Berg said after testifying.
On the witness stand, Berg said he was embedded with SEAL Team Five for nearly a month in March 2009 while preparing to make his upcoming movie "Lone Survivor," based on the book by Marcus Luttrell.
Embedded journalists typically live with military units while covering armed conflicts. Berg described his time in Iraq as the "experience of a lifetime."
Berg, who lives in Los Angeles, said Bickle had written a screenplay and wanted him to read it after they returned to the United States.
"He told me that he had a trophy weapon for me from Iraq," the witness said.
Berg said he was shooting a commercial in San Diego in June 2009 and made arrangements to meet with Bickle and receive the gun.
"I was very proud to have it," Berg testified.
He said the pair met at a hotel in San Diego. He recalled Bickle entering the room with a small duffel bag and opening it.
Berg said he then saw the AK-47 inside with Bickle's screenplay.
"I said, 'Thank you,' and I was very touched and excited to have received it," the witness said.
Berg said he took the weapon to his house and kept it in a safe in his garage until December 2009, when prop master Doug Fox destroyed it for him.
The filmmaker said he previously described the weapon for Fox, an armorer who finds firearms for movies, and Fox told him, "You've got to get rid of it."
Berg said he was reluctant to give up his prized possession but did more research and realized he could be risking jail time by keeping it.
Fox took the weapon to destroy it but later presented Berg with a piece from the end of the barrel, which Berg displayed on his desk. Fox also testified Thursday and said he kept pieces of the AK-47 to use in future filming.
Two other Navy SEALs who spent time with Bickle in Iraq testified Thursday and said members of the military are not permitted to keep "war souvenirs" or "war trophies." They said Bickle worked as an ordnance representative in Iraq.
Bickle, who had a role in the 2011 movie "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," was arrested in November in San Diego. Three other defendants in the case, including two Las Vegas men, have accepted plea bargains.
A federal indictment charges Bickle, 33, with conspiracy to deal unlawfully in firearms. Prosecutors have described him as the conspiracy's leader. Prosecutors have said more than 70 firearms, including 30 machine guns, were smuggled and sold in the conspiracy.
Bickle also faces charges of dealing in firearms without a license, possession and transfer of machine guns, possession and sale of stolen firearms, receiving and concealing property of the United States, and distributing explosives to a non-licensee. He is the only military member charged in the case.
Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@review journal.com or 702-384-8710.
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He gave him a full auto AK-47 just to read his movie screenplay? You should of just brought drugs and escorts to that hotel room instead...
@Jefferson-
Granted, the cost of 7.62 x 39 isn't outrageous, but it got alot more pricey when, I think it was Clinton, banned the import of the Chinese Norinco ammo. It was half the price of the Russian Wolf ammo that you can get at gun shows today. Ditto on the M16/AR15 ammo (.223 / 5.56mm).
"As for shooting it, you would need a nice stash of cash because the 7.62 X 39 rounds are not cheap and you go through them pretty quick."
Wha? 7.63x39 is DIRT CHEAP!
@MRS ED Saddam DID NOT allow gun ownership (only specific people in his group or loyalists) they were not allowed to assemble either. AFTER the war Iraqies are allowed to keep one assualt rifle. @ LONG TIME, you can own them, my friend owns 3. Ithas to go through the Sheriff's Department but iti is possible
I thought it was legal to own a used fully auto AK-47 (so long as you paid the BATF transfer tax). As for shooting it, you would need a nice stash of cash because the 7.62 X 39 rounds are not cheap and you go through them pretty quick. Sounds like this is more of a tax violation then anything. Obviously, if he were stealing American made M16s and selling them that would be a different story. The explosives issue, if true, that is a real problem. Hard to justify a pound of C4 for 4th of July festivities.
Two other Navy SEALs who spent time with Bickle in Iraq testified Thursday and said members of the military are not permitted to keep "war souvenirs" or "war trophies."
Why would such testimony be *admitted*? Bickle is not on trial in a military court.
Speaking of war trophies, what does CIA do with all those AK-47's recovered by our armed forces? They smuggle them to our proxies in other parts of the world.
By the way. How can Bickle be charged with "receiving, possession, concealment, and sale of" AK-47's stolen from the *US*? Our miitary standard is the M-16. I don't believe the USG manufactures AK-47s. If the USG had once been in possession of them, then from whom did *it* steal them?
Perhaps Bickle (or Obama) should be extradited to Russia?
Paint Saddam Hussein as a "war criminal" and you get to collect his head as a "war trophy".
There go those crazy US Atttorneys again. They must think that by adding Hollywood "star power" to their witness list that the erudite jurors who vote on Dancing With The Stars will be impressd enough to vote for a wrongful conviction also.
Now it looks like Bickle didn't "profit", very much, ($) by giving the AK to Berg. This is not the best case scenario that will end up in a conviction of all charges alleged against Bickle ! I am sure that the jury will probably see this case as being slightly "over charged" !
But Dan, this article is not about any of the other myriad distractions you wish to discuss. Reread the headline several times.
Under Saddam Iraqis could buy SKs (fully auto) without a background check. While they were expensive for the average Iraqi, several months of the average paycheck, firearms ownership was allowed. Currently, Iraqi households are allowed one AK per house for personal defence. (They are mostly full auto.) It will be interesting to see how the guns were smuggled into the USA. Obama's "Fast and Furious" was a law enforcement "sting." These stings on drugs, prostitution, weapons, ETC. have occurred under Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Nixon, etc. Why don't you put away the talk radio Republican talking points. How many times under Bush did some agent go up to a person and tell then to cut off a shotgun 1/4 inch less than the legal length?
Also, Reagan sign a machine gun Bill that restricted firearms ownership, even though machine guns are used in less than 15 of gun crimes. Also, in addition to backing the Brady Bill, Reagan as governor of California signed a law that forbade people from carrying gun in public. guns in public.