A defense contractor registered in Wyoming is suing a Pennsylvania businessman and his companies, claiming they defrauded it of nearly $4 million in a deal to supply explosive materials intended for the defense forces of Ukraine and Israel.
Bizzell Corp., which filed paperwork for incorporation in Cheyenne but doesn’t have an active office there, alleges that Ryan Morris and his companies, Tripwire South LLC and Tripwire Aviation LLC, failed to deliver more than 230,000 pounds of high explosives and accelerant powders after accepting payment.
The lawsuit, filed April 17 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, seeks the return of $3.9 million, plus damages.
According to the complaint, the materials were intended to support the war efforts of Ukraine and Israel during what Bizzell described as "their time of dire need."
The explosives were meant to be used in artillery shells for Ukrainian forces facing intense Russian shelling, and in munitions for the Israel Defense Forces as they confronted threats from Iran and its proxies.
Multiple phone and email messages left with Bizzell Corp. by Cowboy State Daily were not returned Thursday. Bizzell is a registered corporation in Wyoming, but the address it lists in official paperwork as its headquarters traces to a building in Cheyenne used by many companies as a legal mailing address and little more.
The case shines a light on just how far-ranging the businesses are using Wyoming’s relatively opaque and lenient limited liability corporation (LLC) laws.
Wyoming’s trust laws give business entities some of the nation’s strongest privacy protections, allowing complete anonymity to their ownership. One address in Sheridan is listed as the place of business for about 120,000 Wyoming LLCs.
In the past, such LLCs have included many legitimate and ordinary enterprises, but also companies that come under investigation such as three the state decided to strip of their licensing after officials said they found ties to North Korea.
A representative at Capital Administrations — with offices at 1712 Pioneer Ave. Ste 115 in Cheyenne — confirmed it is the registered agent for Bizzell, but Bizzell staff do not work at that location.
Paperwork filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office lists the company’s principal office address at 3410 Alta Vista Drive in Laramie.
On the Bizzell Corp. website, the company describes itself as, “A trusted leader in the design and production of munitions including medium calibre and artillery systems.”
Bizzell Corp.goes on to describe itself in the lawsuit as a “certified veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran owned small business” that provides intelligence, logistics, training and contingency operations services to the U.S. government and NATO allies.
A job posting for Bizzell Corp. suggests its weapons manufacturing occurs in Romania. The company is currently trying to find a chemical engineer to work on precision munitions and “lead design and production programs to increase chemical production capacity at our Ammunition Plant in Europe.”
Deal Gone Bad?
Bizzell’s current lawsuit in Pennsylvania alleges that Ryan Morris, who serves as a part-time police officer in Liberty Township and sits on the Gettysburg Area School District school board, misrepresented his ability to provide the materials and subsequently diverted the funds to purchase helicopters, real estate, and luxury items including Rolex watches.
The legal dispute centers on two separate transactions. In June 2024, Bizzell claims it paid $910,954 for 41,000 pounds of Composition B, a high explosive used in artillery shells.
The complaint states that Morris provided fraudulent photographs and safety data sheets to convince Bizzell the explosives were available for delivery within 20 days.
"The Comp-B was a key input for artillery shells destined for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, at a time when Russia was firing more than 10,000 shells a day on the Ukrainians," the lawsuit states.
The materials were part of an effort to help Ukraine "achieve parity" in its defensive capabilities.
In a second transaction, Bizzell alleges it paid nearly $3 million for 75,000 pounds of black powder and 95,920 pounds of M6 High Explosive powder intended for munitions for the Israel Defense Forces.
According to the complaint, these materials were needed as Israel faced "rocket barrages from Iran" and combat against "Iran's proxies on multiple fronts."
Bizzell claims that after months of correspondence about export licenses and shipment logistics, Morris abruptly cut off communications. The complaint alleges that Morris later sold the powders to an Eastern European buyer at a higher price, without returning Bizzell's payment.
The lawsuit further alleges that Morris attempted to conceal the funds through various means, including the formation of a new subsidiary, Tripwire Aviation, shortly after receiving Bizzell's payment.
According to the complaint, this newly formed entity purchased multiple helicopters, including an MD500D helicopter costing approximately $1 million with an additional $350,000 in optical equipment.
The complaint also points to potential conflicts of interest involving local officials. It notes that Michael Dickerson, the Gettysburg Area School Board Vice President, is a co-owner of Tripwire Aviation and allegedly "bragged to the media" that the helicopter was akin to a "Ferrari."
The lawsuit claims Morris engaged in "related-party real estate transactions" to launder funds, including directing Tripwire to pay him $416,000 for his granite quarry property adjacent to Tripwire's headquarters in Gettysburg.
Ireland And Qatar
Adding more countries to the growing list of locations wrapped up in Bizzell’s current lawsuit against Morris, the complaint raises concerns about funds being diverted to pay for an expensive wedding at "one of Ireland's most expensive, five-star luxury wedding hotels."
During this time, Morris allegedly claimed to earn only about $5,000 per month as Tripwire's president.
According to the lawsuit, this is not the first time Morris has been accused of such practices. The complaint references a previous civil fraud judgment obtained by the Republic of Qatar against a former Morris entity after he allegedly took payments but failed to deliver explosive products.
The lawsuit claims there are "multiple other examples of similar fraud" involving various parties.
Bizzell is seeking the return of its $3.9 million payment, compensation for the cost of procuring replacement materials at higher prices, consequential damages, and punitive damages of not less than $250,000.
Cowboy State Daily reached Morris on Thursday by phone. He said his attorneys will be filing a response to Bizzell’s lawsuit soon and offered no other comment.
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
