Russian arms dealer avoids life, gets 25 years

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday called the 25-year U.S. sentence for a notorious arms dealer "unfounded and biased" and pledged to seek Viktor Bout's return home.       

Bout, once called the Merchant of Death, was sentenced in New York following his conviction on terrorism charges that grew from a U.S. sting operation.        "It's a lie!" he blurted out in English during Thursday's sentencing.       

Bout had been jailed since his arrest four years ago in Thailand after he met U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration operatives posing as agents of a Colombian terrorism group. He was extradited to the U.S. for trial in 2010.       

Prosecutors portrayed Bout as among the world's worst villains. They say the 45-year-old was ready to sell up to $20 million in weapons including surface-to-air missiles to shoot down U.S. helicopters.       

Bout has insisted he's a legitimate businessman.       

Despite Bout's outburst and his insistence that he was framed, he received the mandatory minimum 25 years in prison.       

The way federal agents went about capturing Bout an elaborate sting that lured him to Thailand appeared to play in his favor.       

AP