The defendants face up to 30 years in prison
Five Russians and two Americans are charged in the US with conspiracy, related to Money laundering and military technology purchases on behalf of the Russian government.
The US Department of Justice announced that these individuals are suspected of acquiring from US companies military and dual-use technologies intended for the Russian defense sector.
They are also suspected of conspiracy to smuggle ammunition for sniper weaponsin violation of US sanctions.
Accused in the case are 44-year-old Yevgeny Grinin, 57-year-old Alexei Ippolitov and 41-year-old Svetlana Skvartsova, all three from Moscow, 52-year-old Boris Lifsich and 48-year-old Vadim Kanasionak, both from St. Petersburg. The FBI suspects that Kanasionak belongs to the FSB (Federal Security Service), 35-year-old Alexei Bryman who lives in the state of New Hampshire and 41-year-old resident of the state of New Jersey Vadim Yarmolenko.
Braiman surrendered last Thursday to the FBI, while Yarmolenko was arrested in New York. Kanasionak was arrested on December 6 in Estonia on a US arrest warrant and is expected to be extradited to the US. Arrest warrants have been issued for the remaining wanted persons.
If proven guilty, the defendants will be faced with prison sentences of up to 30 years.
The Russian authorities and the suspects themselves have not made any statement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York alleges that the defendants were associated with the companies Sernia Engineering and Septal LLC based in Moscowwhich “operated under the direction of Russian intelligence and purchased advanced electronic products and advanced test equipment for the Russian military-industrial complex and research and development sectors.
According to US prosecutors, Sernia and Ceptal had an extensive network of shell companies and bank accounts around the world, including in the US. These networks were created to hide connections with Russian authorities.
RES-EMP
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