A team of individuals residing in Brooklyn have both recently pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit export control violations and help aid Russia in its war against Ukraine. The two suspects, Brooklyn resident Salimdzhon Nasriddinov and Canadian national Nikolay Goltsev, are accused of illegally exporting specific electronics to Russia.

Not only was the transaction conducted with an internationally sanctioned country, but Russia also went on to use that equipment in actual attacks on Ukraine.

Reports show that Nasriddinov and Goltsev used two Brooklyn companies, SH Brothers Inc. and SN Electronics Inc., to buy dual-use electronics from U.S. manufacturers. From there, they’d ship the products to front companies in Hong Kong, Turkey, China, the UAE, and India. The products would eventually wind up in the hands of users in Russia who are globally sanctioned as a result of their participation in the Ukraine war. Reports suggest that the duo shipped millions of dollars worth of products overall.

Records also suggest that both suspects were aware of the military applications of the electronics they were selling. They also knew the severity of their crimes, as investigators discovered a message exchange from November of 2022 discussing the danger of getting investigated by U.S. officials for shipping to Russia.

Overall, the suspects made over 300 shipments, making about $7 million in profit.

Many of the electronic components directly sent by these two Brooklyn residents were later discovered in Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine. Some of the equipment was discovered in military equipment like the Torn-MDM radio reconnaissance complex, a Izdeliye 305E guided missile, Ka-52 helicopters, Orland-10 UAVs, battle tanks, the RB-301B “Borisoglebsk-2”, and more.

Many of these systems are critical to Russia’s precision-guided weapons systems, so it’s a major deal that these two Brooklyn natives intentionally sold the equipment to Russians.

When the suspects are sentenced, each could face up to 20 years in prison. Investigators have already seized over $20,000 in cash discovered in Goltsev’s hotel room. They also seized around $1.68 million from Goltsev that’s believed to be connected to the illegal scheme.

You Need Legal Representation if You’re Accused of Sanctions Violations

As a citizen, you do not want to get involved in global warfare, so it’s extremely important to be aware of global sanctions and avoid doing business with any sanctioned individual, entity, or country. If you do get accused of committing a sanctions violation crime, then it’s paramount that you seek out legal representation immediately. You could face decades in prison and fines that exceed millions of dollars if you get convicted. Even if your transactions weren’t intentional and you weren’t willfully supporting a sanctioned individual or entity, you can still get convicted of sanctions violations.

Further, any business you’re operating is likely to get fined into extinction. Few businesses are able to comeback after getting hit with sanction violation fines.

Schedule a risk-free consultation with our team of legal experts now to talk about your case right away if you’re facing these types of charges.