Two Russian nationals residing in Miami-Dade County, Florida, have admitted their guilt in connection with a significant case of US aviation parts smuggling. The defendants coordinated illicit transactions exceeding $4.5 million, selling sensitive aircraft parts to Russian companies.
Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya and Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin confessed to their involvement in acquiring and unlawfully exporting aviation technology to Russian end users. Their actions violated the US Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), which prohibits the export of critical technologies crucial to national security. Following Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have also been further sanctions imposed that prohibit trading with Russia. Additionally, Patsulya pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit international money laundering.
US Aviation Parts
These crimes unfolded between May 2022 and May 2023, during which the Russian nationals fulfilled orders for various aircraft parts from Russian buyers, ostensibly commercial airline companies. They sourced these parts from US suppliers, including multiple carbon disc brake system shipments for Boeing 737 aircraft. The defendants knew these items were controlled and knowingly required a license from the Department of Commerce for export.
In an effort to deceive US authorities and suppliers, Patsulya and Besedin provided false information, suggesting that the parts were destined for countries like Turkey rather than Russia. They also verbally misled a supplier by neglecting to tell them where the parts were being shipped. To further conceal their crimes, Patsulya and Besedin confessed that they falsified their customers’ identities and used overseas straw buyer companies to procure their revenue.
Payments totalling at least $4,582,288 from Russian airline companies, wired through Turkish bank accounts, were deposited into US bank accounts held by the defendants. Including in Patsulya’s plea deal, he has to surrender the money in the US bank accounts and other assets.
Government Response
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the US has been cracking down on its ties to Russia. The US government grounded 100 aircraft last month due to suspicions of flights to Russia. Among them was an aircraft that Russian businessman Roman Abramovich utilised, raising concerns about potential violations of US export controls. Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod remarked,
“These guilty pleas are just the latest demonstration of our unwavering commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine and stopping those who attempt to prop up the Russian aviation sector. We continue to take aggressive enforcement against those who violate our Russia controls, including those who lie about the identities of their customers in attempts to conceal Russia as the true destination for their goods.”
Sentencing
Patsulya and Besedin face severe criminal penalties, including conspiring to export items from the US without a license, violating the Export Control Act, and international money laundering charges. They are scheduled for sentencing on June 17, 2024, and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
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