A former Melbourne cleaner found guilty in a New York court of being a business partner of an infamous Russian arms dealer dubbed "The Merchant of Death" should not have a new trial or his conviction overturned, US prosecutors say.
Emails and documents found on Richard Chichakli's computers seized by the AFP in January last year detailed business dealings between him and Viktor Bout, the US District Court was told.
Chichakli, 54, found guilty by a jury in December of money laundering, wire fraud and conspiring with Bout and others to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), has asked a New York judge to overturn his conviction and grant him a new trial.
He faces more than 20 years in jail when sentenced in Manhattan next month.
Assistant US attorney Christian Everdell described Chichakli's bid as "meritless and should be denied".
Syrian-born Chichakli, while on the run from US authorities, was working as a cleaner in Melbourne under the alias Jehad Almustafa when he applied for a job as an armed guard with Victoria Police.
A fingerprint check exposed his identity and he was arrested in January last year.
Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence, sold or brokered deals for weapons that helped fuel conflicts and support rogue regimes.
His story inspired the 2005 movie Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage.
