Two Russian nationals have been arrested in the United States for an alleged scheme to illegally export cutting-edge U.S. electronics used in military hardware.
Dmitry Karpenko and Alexei Krutilin, were arrested in Denver, Colorado on Oct. 6, the U.S Department of Justice said in a statement. They were held with Alexei Barysheff , a New York resident and naturalized U.S. Citizen.
U.S. authorities allege that the men planned to obtain military-grade electronics from American manufacturers and bypass government export controls to send them to Russia.
The United States restricts the export of equipment which could have a “significant contribution to the military potential of other nations.”
The items targeted by the group, which included integrated circuits often used in surveillance and missile guidance systems, require a special license to be exported to Russia.
The group first planned to ship the electronics to Finland in a bid to conceal their true destination before sending them onto Russia, the Justice Department said.
If convicted, the men face up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
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