Feds accuse 3 people of illegally shipping tech components used in weapons to Russia

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged a New York resident and two Canadian citizens with exporting millions of dollars in technology to Russia, including components allegedly used in military gear seized in Ukraine. 

In a criminal complaint, the Department of Justice alleged that Salimdzhon Nasriddinov, 52, of Brooklyn; Nikolay Goltsev, 37, and Kristina Puzyreva, 32, both of Montreal, Canada, participated in a global procurement scheme on behalf of sanctioned Russian entities, including companies linked to the country's military.  

The shipments included semiconductors, integrated circuits and other dual-use electronic components later found in Russian weapons and signal intelligence equipment in Ukraine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Nasriddinov, a dual citizen of Russia and Tajikistan, was arrested on Tuesday in Brooklyn. Goltsev and Puzyreva were arrested at a hotel in Manhattan during a trip to New York to visit Nasriddinov, according to prosecutors. The three were charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and to commit wire fraud. 

"As alleged, the defendants evaded sanctions, shipping equipment to Russia vital for their precision-guided weapons systems, some of which has been used on the battlefield in Ukraine," Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division said in a statement announcing the charges.

The three defendants were aware that the equipment being shipped to Russia had military uses, the complaint states. Attorneys for Nasriddinov, Goltsev and Puzyreva could not immediately be identified. 

Electronic components bought from U.S. companies 

The U.S. expanded existing sanctions and export controls on Russia after the country's invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022. At the time, Russia already faced sanctions linked to its 2014 incursion into Ukraine, use of chemical weapons and election interference.

According to the Justice Department's complaint, Goltsev used aliases such as "Nick Stevens" or "Gio Ross" to take orders from Russian defense and other entities. He and Nasriddinov allegedly bought electronic components from U.S. companies and then arranged for the items to be sent to several locations in Brooklyn. Prosecutors said the two then shipped the equipment to other countries, including Turkey, Hong Kong, India, China and the United Arab Emirates, where they were rerouted to Russia.

Puzyreva is accused of overseeing bank accounts and executing financial transactions linked to the alleged scheme, which prosecutors said involved more than 300 shipments valued at $10 million. 

In:
• Ukraine
• Russia

Alain Sherter

Alain Sherter covers business and economic affairs for CBSNews.com.

Twitter