SAN DIEGO, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A Navy SEAL accused of arms-smuggling has pleaded not guilty in Las Vegas and returned to San Diego, his lawyer said.
Petty Officer 1st Class Nicholas Bickle, 33, was freed on $150,000 bond by a San Diego judge Friday. After he was indicted on conspiracy and weapons counts Tuesday, prosecutors wanted him back in custody, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Bickle is accused of conspiring to sell up to 100 guns smuggled home by servicemen in Iraq.
U.S. Magistrate Peggy Leen in Las Vegas decided Tuesday that Bickle could stay on his base pending trial provided he submitted to electronic monitoring.
Bickle immediately drove back to Coronado Naval Amphibious Base where he will live and serve as the case unfolds, attorney James Pokorny said.
Many supporters, including SEALs and his former commander in Iraq, attended Bickle's earlier hearing in San Diego before U.S. Magistrate William Gallo.
Before the case was shifted to Nevada, Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Smith appealed the bail approval, saying Gallo, a 27-year Marine veteran, was showing "excessive deference to, and even bias in favor of, the military."
