International Trio Indicted in Austin for Illegal Exports to Russia
Published: 26 December 2020 26 December 2020
Austin, Texas - A four–count federal grand jury indictment returned in Austin and unsealed charges three foreign nationals – a Russian citizen and two Bulgarian citizens – with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), and a money laundering statute in a scheme to procure sensitive radiation-hardened circuits from the U.S. and ship those components to Russia through Bulgaria without required licenses.
“Time and again, we find the Russians attempting to get access to sensitive American technology. The defendants here are charged with exporting radiation-hardened chips to Russia, knowing that it was illegal to do so and establishing a business in Bulgaria to circumvent U.S. enforcement authorities,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “I am gratified by our whole-of-government response to this flagrant example of U.S. export controls evasion.”