Ukrainian Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Illegally Export Through Straw Purchasers
A citizen of Ukraine pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act by attempting to export military-grade night vision equipment from the U.S. to Ukraine, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents arrested Volodomyr Ponomarenko while attempting to enter the U.S. on March 23, 2011. Ponomarenko faces up to five years in prison at sentencing.
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According to ICE, Ponomarenko purchased military-grade night vision equipment and other restricted weapons components from dealers in the U.S. and then attempted to export that equipment to Ukraine without the required State Department license. The defendant used straw purchasers in the U.S. to purchase the equipment, ICE said. In exchange for a fee, the straw purchasers shipped the items to various freight forwarding companies for export to the defendant in Ukraine, it said. Law enforcement intercepted the night vision scopes and other weapons components at John F. Kennedy International Airport.