New York: A Russian man confessed on Thursday to unlawfully exporting electronics to Russia with potential military applications, breaching sanctions following Moscow’s Ukraine invasion, revealed the US Department of Justice.
Maxim Marchenko, residing in Hong Kong, orchestrated a network involving two other unnamed Russians to illicitly procure substantial quantities of military-grade microelectronics from American suppliers on behalf of Russian entities, the DOJ disclosed.
Apprehended in September 2023, the 51-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling and money laundering during his New York court appearance on Thursday.
“Marchenko concealed his scheme to funnel these microelectronics – which had application for use in rifle scopes, night-vision goggles, thermal optics, and other weapons systems – by using shell companies and other elaborate money laundering techniques,” remarked US Attorney Damian Williams in a DOJ statement.
Marchenko is scheduled for sentencing on May 29. Money laundering carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, while smuggling incurs up to 10 years’ imprisonment, as per the department.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division asserted that the DOJ was “holding accountable those who would enable the Kremlin and its unjust war of aggression against Ukraine.”
According to the DOJ, Marchenko’s shell corporations transferred over $1.6 million to the US between May 2022 and August 2023 for the purchase of the equipment.
