Russian-Canadian National Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Ship Missile Parts to Russia
Kristina Puzyreva, a Russian and Canadian national, pleaded guilty on Feb. 12 to conspiracy to commit money laundering for her role in a scheme to export unnamed aerial vehicle parts, guided missile system components and other weapons to sanctioned Russian entities, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced. She faces up to 20 years in prison.
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Puzyreva was charged in October (see 2311010039) and later made subject to a Commerce Department temporary denial order (see 2311070076) after she and others allegedly used two Brooklyn-registered companies, SH Brothers and SN Electronics, to source, buy and illegally ship "millions of dollars" in dual-use electronics from U.S. manufacturers to sanctioned parties. The shipped goods were later found in "seized Russian weapons platforms and signals intelligence equipment in Ukraine," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The shipments were valued at over $7 million.
Puzyreva operated several bank accounts and conducted financial transactions as part of the scheme, DOJ said. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace called her a “key part of the plan, laundering proceeds from the scheme to evade sanctions and ship [drone] and missile components to Russia that were later found on the battlefield in Ukraine."