An Indian national violated U.S. export controls by lying on at least one export application for dual-use aerospace technology, telling the government the item would be exported to India when he actually planned to send it to Russia, according to a DOJ indictment unsealed last week and the sworn affidavit of a Bureau of Industry and Security special agent.
Dual U.S. and Russian national Vadim Yermolenko pleaded guilty Nov. 1 for his role in a scheme to illegally export controlled dual-use and military items to Russia as part of a Moscow-led sanctions evasion scheme, DOJ said. Yermolenko pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Yermolenko faces up to 30 years in prison.
Russian-German national Arthur Petrov was extradited to the U.S., making his initial appearance in court Aug. 9 for allegedly committing export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud and money laundering, DOJ announced. Extradited from Cyprus, Petrov was charged for his part in a scheme to ship more than $225,000 worth of U.S.-sourced microelectronics to companies supplying weapons to the Russian military.
U.S. export controls are blocking Huawei's access to evidence that it needs to prepare for its upcoming trial on racketeering, trade secret theft and other charges (see 2002130045), the Chinese technology company said in a court filing last week.
A recent federal district court ruling limiting the U.S. anti-smuggling statute to physical goods won't affect export control enforcement efforts on data and other intangible exports sent digitally across borders, lawyers said in interviews. Although the U.S. District Court in Kentucky said a statute barring the unlicensed export of certain merchandise, articles or objects didn't apply to an email with magnet schematics sent to Chinese manufacturers (see 2407290046), lawyers noted that U.S. export control agencies have their own, specific enforcement authorities to regulate those digital transmissions.
A Hallandale, Florida, resident was charged on July 2 with smuggling controlled goods into Russia from the U.S. Kirill Gordei, president of Florida-based freight forwarding company Apelsin Logistics, faces three counts -- conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S., smuggling goods from the U.S. and exporting a spectrometer, a controlled item, unlawfully -- DOJ announced. A Belarus citizen and U.S. permanent resident, Gordei faces maximums of five, 10 and 20 years in prison for the charges, respectively.
The U.S. arrested and charged Chinese national YunHe Wang with leading a cybercrime network that allowed people to anonymously commit crimes, including violations of export control laws, DOJ said May 29.
Sanctions and export control attorney Keil Ritterpusch has joined Buchanan Ingeroll as a shareholder in the international trade and national security practice group, the firm announced May 13. Ritterpusch has worked across the defense, aerospace and software sectors and has helped clients put in place compliance programs involving the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Export Administration Regulations, Foreign Trade Regulations, Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act requirements.
Chinese nationals Han Li and Lin Chen were charged for their role in a conspiracy to illegally export controlled U.S. technology to Chinese end users, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Export Administration Regulations, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced.
Two Russian nationals living in Florida pleaded guilty this week to conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act by illegally shipping aviation technology to Russian end users, DOJ announced April 4.