A Manhattan cop and his customs-officer brother pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court Thursday to smuggling unlicensed assault and sniper rifles from the United States to the Philippines.
The pair will land 4 ¾ to 6 years in prison under the deal.
Disgraced NYPD Officer Rex Maralit and his US Customs officer sibling, Wilfredo, shipped the guns to a third brother in the Philippines, prosecutors have said.
“I plead guilty, Your Honor,” Rex Maralit said in court Thursday.
Rex Maralit — who had been assigned to the NYPD Equal Employment Opportunity Office — was so focused on raking in cash throughout the five-year scheme that he would ask his arms suppliers for a “law-enforcement” discount, officials have said.
Both Rex and Wilfredo would get shorter sentences if their brother came to the US and turned himself in, federal prosecutors said.
A source with knowledge of the case said the third brother works for the Philippines government.
“It’s a bizarre situation,” the source said.
Both men will be sentenced Oct. 16.