Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Justice Department has charged a 57-year-old Indian national, Sanjay Kaushik, for allegedly conspiring to illegally export controlled aviation components to end users in Russia. Kaushik was arrested in Miami on October 17 and indicted on Thursday, with the charges announced in a press release on Friday. The indictment accuses Kaushik of conspiring to export aviation components that have dual civilian and military applications, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act.
Additionally, he is charged with attempting to illegally export a navigation and flight control system from Oregon to Russia through India, and for making false statements related to the export activities. If convicted of these charges, Kaushik could face severe penalties, including a maximum of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million for each count in the indictment. Court documents reveal that Kaushik's alleged activities began as early as March 2023, shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He reportedly conspired with others to unlawfully procure aerospace goods and technology from the United States, intending to supply them to Russian entities. The goods were acquired under misleading pretenses, with claims that they were for Kaushik and his Indian company, while their actual destination was Russian end users. In a notable instance, Kaushik and his co-conspirators purchased an Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS), a crucial component that provides navigation and flight control data for aircraft, from a supplier in Oregon.
Federal prosecutors stated that Kaushik and his associates misrepresented the true end purchaser of the AHRS, asserting that it would be used in a civilian helicopter to obtain the necessary export license. Ultimately, the AHRS was detained before being exported from the United States. As the investigation continues, the case underscores ongoing concerns regarding unauthorized exports of sensitive technology to Russia, especially in light of geopolitical tensions and regulatory scrutiny in the wake of the Ukraine conflict. The U.S. government remains vigilant in enforcing export controls to safeguard national security interests.