Two Russian nationals arrested in Denver for illegally exporting technology to Russia - The Denver Post

Two Russian nationals in Denver and a Brooklyn, N.Y., man were arrested simultaneously Thursday on charges of illegally exporting technology to Russia.

Dmitrii Aleksandrovich Karpenko and Alexey Krutilin, both of Russia, and Alexey Barysheff of New York, a naturalized U.S. citizen, were arrested on federal conspiracy charges, according to a news release on Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department.

Karpenko and Krutilin were scheduled for initial appearances at the Denver U.S. District Court and the government will seek their transfer to New York City for prosecution, the news release says. Barysheff was also scheduled to appear in a federal court in New York, according to the news release.

The complaints allege that Barysheff, Karpenko, Krutilin, and others were involved in a conspiracy to obtain cutting-edge microelectronics from manufacturers and suppliers in the U.S. and export them to Russia.

The microelectronics included digital-to-analog converters and integrated circuits, which are frequently used in a wide range of military systems, including radar and surveillance systems, missile guidance systems and satellites, the news release says.  These electronic devices have been restricted for anti-terrorism and national security reasons.

In 2015, Barysheff registered New York-based companies BKLN Spectra, Inc. and UIP Techno Corp., which were used as front companies to purchase and export technology. They concealed the fact that they were exporters and falsely classified the goods they exported on records submitted to the Department of Commerce.  To conceal the true destination of the controlled microelectronics from the U.S. suppliers, the defendants shipped the items first to Finland and subsequently to Russia.

The materials are known to be used in a wide range of military devices, the lawsuit says.

“According to the complaints, Barysheff, Karpenko, and Krutilin conspired among themselves and with others to send sensitive U.S. technology surreptitiously to Russia in violation of U.S. export law,” Assistant Attorney General Carlin said in a statement.  “These laws are in place to protect the national security, and we will spare no effort in pursuing and holding accountable those who seek to harm the national security by illegally procuring strategic commodities for foreign entities.”

If convicted of the charges, the defendants face up to 25 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

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