An Estonian national was extradited to the U.S. on Aug. 28 to face charges of conspiracy to violate U.S. export controls by sourcing U.S.-made electronics for use by the Russian government and military, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced. Andrey Shevlyakov faces 18 total counts related to the international procurement scheme.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Aug. 26 suspended the export privileges of 19 people after they were convicted of export-related offenses, including illegal shipments involving guns, gun parts, ammunition, microdisplays and vehicles. The suspensions took effect from the date of their convictions.
The State Department rescinded its statutory debarment of Dominick DeQuarto after receiving a reinstatement request, the agency said in a notice released Aug. 22. The agency debarred DeQuarto in 2020 for violating the Arms Export Control Act but determined the debarment should no longer apply after conducting a “thorough review of the circumstances surrounding" his conviction. The State Department determined that DeQuarto has taken “appropriate steps to address the causes of the violations sufficient to warrant rescission of his statutory debarment.”
A U.S. business owner allegedly exported gun parts and accessories to Russia illegally by routing them through Kazakhstan and mislabeling the shipments to evade authorities, DOJ said last week. Maxim Larin, a Florida resident who owns multiple U.S.-based firearms supply companies, illegally worked with a person in Russia to evade export restrictions and ship items controlled under both the Export Administration Regulations and International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the agency said.
Jinchao Wei, a former sailor with the U.S. Navy, was found guilty this week after being accused of illegally exporting military information and technical data to China. Wei was convicted on several counts, including espionage and illegally exporting technical data related to defense articles in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.
Chinese national Shenghua Wen was sentenced this week to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in June to illegally exporting firearms, ammunition and "other military items" to North Korea by hiding them inside shipping containers leaving a California port (see 2506100049). DOJ said Wen, who was residing illegally in Ontario, California, committed the crime "at the direction of North Korean government officials," who sent him about $2 million for the illegal exports.
ServisMed, a Florida-based distributor of disinfectant pesticides, was ordered to dissolve its business after trying to export unregistered pesticide products in violation of federal insecticide regulations, DOJ said. The company, which was investigated in part by the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.
Dual U.S. and Russian national Vadim Yermolenko was sentenced to 30 months in prison, and ordered to forfeit $75,547, 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. He pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, commit bank fraud and defraud the U.S. (see 2411010047).
The State Department announced three-year debarments this week against 16 people convicted of violating U.S. export control laws. All 16 are “generally ineligible” to participate in activity controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations for three years following their dates of conviction. At the end of that period, they must apply to be reinstated from their debarment before engaging in ITAR activities.
Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier and U.S. citizen Bazile Richardson have been charged with violations of U.S. sanctions on Haiti, DOJ announced. Cherizier and Richardson were charged with "leading a conspiracy to transfer funds" from the U.S. to Cherizier to "fund his gang activities in Haiti in violation" of U.S. sanctions, DOJ said.