On behalf of the Russian government, five Russian nationals, including a suspected intelligence officer, and two others were charged with military procurement and money laundering.
On Monday, the Justice Department unsealed a 16-count indictment in Brooklyn charging Yevgeny Grinin, 44, Alexei Ippolitov, 57, Boris Livshits, 52, Svetlana Skvortsova, 41, and Vadim Konoshchenok, 48.
Alexei Bryman is a lawful permanent resident of the United States who resides in New Hampshire, the DOJ said.
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Konoshchenok, a suspected operative of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the Soviet Union’s KGB, was arrested in Estonia earlier this month and will be extradited to the United States. The rest of those charged remain at large, the Justice Department said.
Alexey Brayman, a legal permanent resident of the US state of New Hampshire, and Vadim Yermolenko, a US citizen of the state of New Jersey, were also arrested in connection with the scheme.
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According to prosecutors, two Moscow-based companies, Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, were involved in the procurement of advanced electronics and test equipment for the Kremlin’s military-industrial complex under the direction of Russian intelligence.
The DOJ said both companies operated a global network of companies and bank accounts on behalf of the Russian government. The defendants illegally purchased and exported highly regulated electronic components — some of which could be used in nuclear weapons and other military purposes.
The DOJ alleges that Brayman and other New Jerseyans controlled numerous companies and bank accounts to carry out the alleged scheme.
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After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the US government sanctioned Sernia, Sertal, Grinin and several other companies involved in the scheme. Sernia’s client network includes various state defense conglomerates.
According to Monday’s indictment, Sertal was licensed by the FSB to conduct highly sensitive and classified procurement activities. It says that Ippolitov received requests from officials, then passed them on to Grinin and Skvortsova, both Sertal employees.
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Grinin and Skvortsova provided financing and shipping lines for the transactions and instructed Livshits to purchase items from US companies. Liveshitz operated various companies and bank accounts in New York City, which he used to make financial transactions to ship shipments and continue operations.
The DOJ alleges that Bryman and Yermolenko forged shipping documents and invoices, repackaged the items, and shipped them around the world to destinations that ended up in Russia. The two also helped Livshits manage the aforementioned shell companies and bank accounts.
The Grand Kremlin Palace, left, and the Annunciation Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
(Andrei Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Prosecutors say Konoshchenok smuggled US-made goods from Estonia to Russia. These include dual-purpose electronics, military-grade tactical ammunition, and other export-controlled items.
The Estonian government stopped Konoshchenok at the Estonian border on October 27, 2022. According to the indictment, he was found to be traveling with 35 different semiconductors, thousands of US-made 6.5mm cartridges and other electronic components ordered by Liveshitz.
On November 24, 2022, when Konoshchenok tried to cross into Russia with about 20 US-origin rounds, including tactical and 338 military sniper rounds, authorities stopped him again.
After his arrest, Estonian authorities searched the warehouse used by Konoshcenok and found about 375 pounds of ammunition.
The defendants face a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted.