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‘Merchant of Death’ associate demands trial recordings that don’t exist

A convicted, camera-shy associate of jailed Russian arms dealer Vicktor “Merchant of Death” Bout apparently needs to get over himself.

Richard Chichakli, a citizen of both the US and Syria, filed court papers recently demanding to know why a video camera was “pointed” at him throughout his Manhattan federal court trial in December for illegally buying two airplanes to transport weapons into international war zones.

Chichakli, who was found guilty and is appealing the verdict, claims the cameras “caused serious distractions to [him] and plenty of concern.” He also asked Judge William Pauley III to supply him copies of all “recordings.”

But the clueless Chichakli wasn’t being recorded.

Judge Pauley wrote him back Friday, saying the video cameras were actually set up for another high-profile case involving a challenge to the NSA’s massive telephone-tracking program.

Pauley noted the cameras don’t even record. They only transmit footage to courthouse “overflow rooms” for the public to watch.

The judge rejected Chichakli’s requests and warned against raising the same issues in his appeal.

“To the extent Chichakli contends that he suffered prejudice during trial, his argument is frivolous,” Pauley wrote.

Prosecutors said Chichakli helped Bout — who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for conspiring to sell weapons to Colombian rebels — manage a network of aircraft companies since the mid-1990s. Chichakli faces up to 20 years behind bars.