Nov. 4 (UPI) — A freight consolidation company in Virginia and its two top executives were charged Monday with illegally exporting U.S. technology, worth millions of dollars, to Russia.
Oleg Nayandin, 54, and Vitaliy Borisenko, 39, appeared Monday in the U.S. Eastern District of Virginia to face conspiracy charges in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. Nayandin was the owner, president and chief executive officer at Eleview International Inc., which operated a freight consolidation and forwarding business. Borisenko oversaw the company’s day-to-day operations.
According to the complaint, Nayandin and Borisenko are accused of conspiring to illegally export goods and technology from the United States to Russia by shipping them through three countries, bordering Russia.
“The defendants — a Virginia company and two of its senior executives — conspired through three evasion schemes to circumvent the export restrictions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen.
“U.S. companies are responsible for complying with laws that protect our national security. The National Security Division is committed to holding accountable individuals and companies who violate these laws and place financial profit over our collective security,” Olsen added.
The defendants are accused of shipping items through Turkey, Finland and Kazakhstan, to Russia despite the U.S. Department of Commerce imposing stricter export controls following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the Turkey scheme, the defendants are accused of exporting about $1.48 million worth of telecommunications equipment. In Finland, the defendants allegedly exported about $3.45 million in goods. And in the Kazakhstan scheme, Nayandin and Borisenko are accused of exporting about $1.47 million worth of goods for Russia.
“This company allegedly used not one, not two, but three different schemes to illegally transship sensitive American technology to Russia,” said Matthew Axelrod, assistant secretary for the Department of Commerce Export Enforcement, Bureau of Industry and Security.
“Today’s charges, against both the company and two top executives, are a prime example of our work to bring to justice both the companies and the corporate executives alleged to have circumvented our rules in search of a fatter bottom line,” Axelrod added.
If convicted, Nayandin and Borisenko could face up to 20 years in prison.
“We must not allow critical systems and technologies to be transferred to anyone who may use them against America and our global partners,” said Jessica Aber, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
“Guarding against these transfers is imperative, and violations of the laws that protect our national security will be met with ardent prosecution.”
