Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
Nikolai Grigoriev of Brooklyn pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in an illegal export control scheme to supply U.S. electronic components to companies linked to the Russian military. This was announced by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. Nikita Arkhipov and Artem Olovyannikov, who were involved in violating the law, have not yet been detained, reports Russian service of the Voice of America.
Monaco said in a statement released by the Justice Department that the 36-year-old defendant admitted to conspiring to smuggle more than $250,000 worth of sensitive U.S. drone technology to Russian companies.
The indictment states that Grigoriev used a Brooklyn entity called QLC, registered and controlled by Grigoriev and Olovyannikov, and Arkhipov used a QLC email account from Russia.
Through QLC, the defendants purchased dual-use electronic components for organizations in Russia that develop and manufacture drones.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate emphasized that the acquisition of classified, dual-use technologies by US adversaries poses a significant threat to the United States and its allies.
Grigoriev faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.