US charges Indian for conspiring to export aviation components to Russia; faces 20 years in prison, $1 mn fine

The United States has charged a 57-year-old Indian national, Sanjay Kaushik, for allegedly conspiring to illegally export controlled US aviation components to Russia.

US charges India for conspiring to export aviation components to Russia; faces 20 years in prison, $1 mn fine snt

Sunita Iyer

First Published Nov 23, 2024, 10:44 AM IST | Last Updated Nov 23, 2024, 10:56 AM IST

The United States has charged a 57-year-old Indian national, Sanjay Kaushik, for allegedly conspiring to illegally export controlled US aviation components to Russia. According to the Justice Department, Kaushik was arrested in Miami on October 17 and indicted on Thursday. He faces charges of conspiring to export aviation components with both civilian and military applications to Russia, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act.

Additionally, Kaushik is accused of attempting to illegally export a navigation and flight control system from Oregon to Russia via India and making false statements related to the export.

If convicted, Sanjay Kaushik faces maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to USD 1 million for each count in the indictment.

Court documents reveal that, starting in March 2023, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kaushik conspired with others to unlawfully acquire aerospace goods and technology from the U.S. for Russian entities. The goods were purchased under the false pretense that they would be supplied to Kaushik and his Indian company, although they were intended for Russian end users.

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In one such instance, Kaushik and his co-conspirators acquired an Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS), a device used for navigation and flight control, from a supplier based in Oregon. Federal prosecutors noted that items like 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," federal prosecutors said.

"Kaushik and his co-conspirators 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," they added.

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