On 4 November, the US Justice Department issued a press release following the extradition from France of Yana Leonova to face charges of exports of aviation equipment to Russia in breach of US sanctions.
The press release gives little information on when she was arrested or whether the extradition was contested.
It is alleged that she falsified the final destinations for exports and used a variety of front companies in Armenia, the Maldives and elsewhere.
The US Department of Justice has issued a press release confirming that the Estonian authorities have transferred Estonian national Andrey Shevlyakov to US custody for extradition to the US to face 18 counts of supplying US goods and technology to Russia in breach of US sanctions.
It is being reported that Mr Shevlyakov was first detained in March 2023 as part of a joint investigation between US and Estonian authorities.
The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York has issued a press release, providing details of the arrest in Cyprus of Arthur Petrov a Russian-German national in August 2023 for the purposes of extradition to face charges in the US of breaching US sanctions against Russia.
Petrov only arrived in New York in August 2024 suggesting prolonged extradition proceedings in Cyprus.
Petrov operated the Cypriot company Astrafteros Technokosmos LTD, via which he procured US-origin microelectronics for onward sale, ultimately, to the Russian military through the company LLC Electrocom VPK.
Two other co-defendants remain at large.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has issued a press release concerning the guilty plea by Mohammad Bazzi on charges of conspiracy to conduct unlawful transactions with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The press release confirmed that Bazzi was arrested in Romania in March 2023 by the Romanian authorities, and was then subsequently extradited to the United States to face the charges there.
A press release from the United State’s Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has included details of an arrest and extradition by the Cypriot authorities in support of US charges of sanctions and export control violations.
On 26 August 223, Arthur Petrov was arrested in Cyprus in relation to:
“export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud, and money laundering offenses in connection with his alleged participation in a scheme to procure U.S.-sourced microelectronics subject to U.S. export controls on behalf of a Russia-based supplier of critical electronics components for manufacturers supplying weaponry and other equipment to the Russian military”.
Mr Petrov operated the scheme through his Cypriot company Astrafteros Technokosmos LTD.
His extradition from Cyprus was completed and he arrived in the US on 8 August 2024.
A press release from the US Department of Justice records that an individual, Saeid Haji Agha Mousaei, was arrested in the UK on 24 January 2023 pursuant to an Interpol diffusion notice.
Mr Mousaei was then subsequently extradited to the US where he faces multiple charges arising from the alleged supply of “controlled electronics with military applications, including signals equipment like oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers, for export and re-export to Iran”.
It is alleged that false documentation was prepared which indicated that the goods were to remain in countries such as the UAE and Armenia, but the goods were all transshipped to Iran via the UAE.
Further to our earlier post, it is being reported that the Italian authorities have today arrested a Russian national on suspicion of providing assistance to Artem Uss who fled Italy after a court had ordered his extradition to the United States to face charges relating to breaches of US sanctions against Venezuela.
The individual has been identified as Dmitry Chirakadze who was arrested at Rome’s airport.
The US Department of Justice has issued a press release confirming that the Latvian authorities have arrested a 55-year old, Oleg Chistyakov.
He has been charged with multiple counts of breaching US sanctions and other offences as part of an alleged wider conspiracy with two other also-charged individuals to supply avionics materials to Russia in breach of US sanctions.
The man was arrested near Riga on 19 March pending proceedings for extradition to the United States.
The US authorities today have announced that a national of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been arrested in Croatia on a US arrest warrant on suspicion of obstructing justice.
The individual was named as Vladimir Jovancic. He is alleged to have assisted Artem Uss flee house arrest in Italy after an Italian court has ordered Uss to be extradited to face sanctions charges in the US.
A Spanish national, Alejandro Cao de Benos, has been arrested on an US arrest warrant on suspicion of breaching sanctions against North Korea.
It is alleged that he was providing cryptocurrency advice to North Korea to assist with circumventing US sanctions.
