Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Russian Agent Fishenko Pleads Guilty to Illegally Exporting Controlled Technology to the Russian Military

Alexander Fishenko, a dual citizen of the United States and Russia
FBI — Russian Agent Pleads Guilty to Leading Scheme to Illegally Export Controlled Technology to the Russian Military

between approximately October 2008 and October 2012, Fishenko led a conspiracy to obtain advanced, technologically cutting-edge microelectronics from manufacturers and suppliers located within the United States and to export those high-tech goods to Russia, while carefully evading the government licensing system set up to control such exports. The microelectronics shipped to Russia included
  • analog-to-digital converters, 
  • static random access memory chips, 
  • microcontrollers, and 
  • microprocessors. 
These commodities have applications, and are frequently used, in a wide range of military systems, including radar and surveillance systems, missile guidance systems, and detonation triggers. Russia does not produce many of these sophisticated goods domestically.

Russian Agent Pleads Guilty to Funneling Tech to Russian Military - NBC News
Fishenko's company exported about $50 million worth of technology to Russia since 2002, prosecutors said in a release. The company claimed on its website that it made traffic lights -- but investigators allege that, instead, Fishenko and others were shipping the technology to entities of the Russian government, including the FSB and the military.
"Fishenko lined his pockets at the expense of our national security," said Kelly T. Currie, acting U.S. attorney for New York's Eastern District, in a statement. "This prosecution highlights the importance of vigorously enforcing United States export control laws."
Russian-American pleads guilty to smuggling sensitive tech to Moscow | US news | The Guardian

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