Indian national jailed in US for illegally exporting aviation components to Russia
CHANDIGARH: A 58-year-old Indian national Sanjay Kaushik was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in the United States for illegally exporting controlled aviation components from Oregon in the US to Russia via India thus, violating US security.
A statement issued by the US Justice Department stated, “Yesterday, in Portland, Oregon, a man from Delhi, India was sentenced to federal prison for conspiring with others to export controlled aviation components and a navigation and flight control system to end users in Russia, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. Sanjay Kaushik, 58, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and 36 months of supervised release.’’It further stated it was not a mistake but a well-calculated business deal for which Kaushik put his personal gain above US national security and foreign policy.
According to court documents and following yesterday’s sentencing, beginning in early September 2023, Kaushik conspired with others to unlawfully obtain aerospace goods and technology from the United States for entities in Russia. The goods were purchased under the false pretense that they would be supplied to Kaushik and his Indian company, when in fact they were bought for Russian end users.Components such as the AHRS require a license from the Department of Commerce to be exported to certain countries, including Russia. To obtain an export license for the AHRS, Kaushik and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that Kaushik’s Indian company was the end purchaser and that the component would be used in a civilian helicopter.This was no lapse in judgment. It was a calculated, profit-driven scheme involving repeated transactions, substantial gains, and coordination with foreign co-conspirators, including sanctioned Russian entities. This defendant sought, on multiple occasions, to undermine safeguards critical to US national security and foreign policy for his own personal gain,” he said.Kaushik was arrested in Miami in October last year in connection with a criminal complaint and arrest warrant and has remained in custody since.
On November 20, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Kaushik with conspiring and attempting to export products in violation of the Export Control Reform Act and the Export Administration Regulations, specifically attempting to illegally export a navigation and flight control system from Oregon to Russia through India, and false statements in connection with an export.
“Those who scheme to circumvent US export control laws, especially when it involves technologies with military applications, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The security of the United States demands that perpetrators of deceitful schemes like this one are held accountable for their actions,” said Assistant Attorney General for National
They obtained the AHRS, which was ultimately detained before it was exported from the United States, on behalf of and with the intention of shipping it, through India, to a customer in Russia.