The Department of Justice reports that on July 29 a Russian citizen residing in Wisconsin pled guilty in a federal court to a four-count criminal information charging him with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and with smuggling goods from the U.S. in connection with a scheme to illegally export scientific equipment to Russia.
U.S. export control regulations prohibit the export of certain items to Russia without a license issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security. The regulations were expanded Sept. 16, 2022, to include a licensing requirement for items potentially useful to Russia’s chemical and biological weapons production capabilities. Under the Export Control Reform Act, it is a federal crime to willfully violate any export control regulation.
According to a DOJ press release, beginning around September 2022 and continuing until October 2023 the Russian citizen, through his company, willfully violated and evaded the U.S. export restrictions on Russia by exporting scientific and diagnostic research equipment components to that country without the required licenses, using transshipment points in third-party countries to conceal the ultimate destination. The DOJ asserts that this individual conspired with Russian-based companies and individuals to export controlled items from the U.S. to Russia through third-party countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Latvia, and Lithuania. The individual exported the controlled items without obtaining a license, according to the DOJ, despite knowing about the license requirement.
This individual faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the smuggling violations.
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