Indian-origin man in US indicted for exporting aviation tech to Russia
Updated: Nov 23rd, 2024
A 57-year-old Indian-origin man in Oregon, USA, was indicted for ‘conspiring to export controlled aviation components with dual civilian and military applications to end users in Russia’, according to the office of Public Affairs, US Department of Justice.
As per DOJ, Kaushik was trying to export a navigation and flight control system to Russia through India, by illegally exporting it from Oregon.
He conspired to to get aerospace equipment and technology from the US and illegally send it to Russia, under the pretence of sending it to his Indian company.
However, they were meant to end up in Russia.
If convicted, Kaushik, who was arrested in October from Florida, may be sentenced to 20 years of prison and a fine of $1 million for each count.
The illegal operation by Kaushik is likely to have begun at the same time Russia invaded Ukraine.
According to the DOJ statement, in one instance, Kaushik purchased an Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) from Oregon, which requires a license from the Department of Commerce to be sent to certain countries.
Kaushik claimed that his company would use the tech for civil aviation in India, however, it was meant to be delivered to his customers in Russia through India.
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