3 People Charged for Illegal Exports to Russia
A Russian citizen and two Bulgarians were charged with violating U.S. export controls after they used a Bulgarian company to illegally ship controlled items to Russia, the Department of Justice said Dec. 18. Russian national Ilias Sabirov and Bulgarian nationals Dimitar Dimitrov and Milan Dimitrov used Bulgarian company Multi Technology Integration Group EEOD (MTIG) to export the items, which included various electronic components. All three men were added to the Entity List last week (see 2012180039).
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In 2014, after discovering that exports of U.S.-made “radiation-hardened circuits” to Russia were restricted, Sabirov -- along with Dimitar Dimitrov and Milan Dimitrov -- established MTIG to import the circuits to Bulgaria before shipping them to Sabirov's companies in Russia, DOJ alleged. MTIG also ordered more than $1.7 million in other electric parts produced by a U.S. electronics manufacturer before repackaging them and exporting them to Russia. Justice said Milan Dimitrov lied to an export control officer during a 2018 interview about the exports.
Sabirov and both Dimitrovs were charged with two counts of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, one count of money laundering and violations relating to the Export Control Reform Act. Justice said each count includes a maximum potential 20-year prison sentence. Along with the charges, Commerce’s addition of the trio to the Entity List makes them subject to strict license requirements. Commerce also added Mariana Marinova Gargova and companies MTIG, Cosmos Complect and OOO Sovtest Comp. to the Entity List for their alleged involvement in the illegal exports.