Vadim Konoshchenok shall be arraigned this afternoon earlier than United States Justice of the Peace Choose Ramon E. Reyes, Jr., on the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on an indictment charging him with conspiracy and different expenses associated to a world procurement and cash laundering community on behalf of the Russian authorities. Konoshchenok, a Russian citizen with alleged ties to Russia’s Federal Safety Service (FSB), was arrested in Estonia on a provisional arrest warrant issued from the Jap District of New York and extradited from Estonia to america on July 13, 2023.
Breon Peace, United States Legal professional for the Jap District of New York; Kenneth A. Well mannered, Jr., Assistant Legal professional Basic for the Justice Division’s Prison Division; Andrew C. Adams, Director, Job Power KleptoCapture; Christie M. Curtis, Performing Assistant Director-in-Cost, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Subject Workplace (FBI), and Jonathan Carson, Particular Agent-in-Cost, U.S. Division of Commerce, Workplace of Export Enforcement, New York Subject Workplace (DOC), introduced the extradition.
“As alleged, the defendant was a vital participant in a scheme to offer delicate, American-made electronics and ammunition in furtherance of Russia’s warfare efforts and weapons improvement, violating U.S. export controls, financial sanctions and different legal statutes,” acknowledged United States Legal professional Peace. “Let this case function the newest instance that regardless of the place you’re on this planet, if you happen to violate U.S. export controls or evade U.S. sanctions, we won’t relaxation till you face justice in a U.S. courtroom.”
United States Legal professional Peace thanked the Division of Justice’s Workplace of Worldwide Affairs and Estonian authorities, together with Estonian Inner Safety Service (KAPO) and the Prosecutor Basic’s Workplace of the Republic of Estonia for his or her important help in securing international proof, the arrest and extradition of Konoshchenok.
“In early December, I met with Estonian counterparts in Tallinn relating to the pending U.S. request to arrest Vadim Konoshchenok,” acknowledged Assistant Legal professional Basic Well mannered. “I want to pay tribute to Prosecutor Basic Andres Parmas’s group, and to the Estonian Inner Safety Service, for his or her prioritization of this case, and for his or her shut coordination with the Division of Justice’s Workplace of Worldwide Affairs on the provisional arrest and extradition of Konoshchenok.”
“This defendant, who’s suspected of getting ties to the FSB, smuggled a whole bunch of hundreds of illicit munitions in assist of Moscow’s warfare machine, utilizing entrance corporations to hide his legal enterprise,” mentioned Assistant Legal professional Basic Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Division’s Nationwide Safety Division. “The Division of Justice stays steadfast in its mission to counter Russian aggression and we’ll give no quarter to those that violate U.S. sanctions to additional gas its warfare effort.”
“Vadim Konoshchenok allegedly offered innovative, American-developed applied sciences and ammunition to Russia to be used of their unlawful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Removed from the battlefield, Konoshchenok will now face justice in an American courthouse, because of the staunch dedication of our Estonian companions and the federal prosecutors and brokers who’ve devoted their time and skills to disrupting the Kremlin’s warfare machine,” acknowledged KleptoCapture Director Adams.
“Final yr, expenses have been introduced towards the defendant and others concerned on this advanced transnational legal scheme below the course of Russian intelligence providers. At the moment’s extradition of Vadim Konoshchenok is a testomony to the group of legislation enforcement professionals devoted to implementing U.S. export controls,” acknowledged DOC Particular Agent-in-Cost Carson. “We’ll proceed to implement the unprecedented export controls applied in response to Russia’s unlawful warfare towards Ukraine and the Workplace of Export Enforcement intends to pursue these violators wherever they might be worldwide.”
Based on the indictment and court docket filings, the defendants have been affiliated with Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC (the “Serniya Community”), Moscow-based corporations that function below the course of Russian intelligence providers to obtain superior electronics and complicated testing tools for Russia’s navy industrial advanced and analysis and improvement sector, a few of which can be utilized within the improvement of nuclear and hypersonic weapons, quantum computing and different navy functions. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. Division of the Treasury’s Workplace of International Property Management (OFAC) and the Division of Commerce (DOC) Bureau of Trade and Safety (BIS) levied sanctions towards Serniya, Sertal and several other people and corporations engaged within the scheme, calling them “instrumental to the Russian Federation’s warfare machine.”
As alleged within the indictment, the Serniya Community was licensed to conduct extremely sensitiveand categorized procurement actions by Russia’s FSB, Russia’s principal safety company and the principle successor company to the Soviet Union’s KGB. In digital communications, Konoshchenok explicitly recognized himself as an FSB “Colonel” and enclosed {a photograph} of himself carrying his FSB uniform. Moreover, a evaluation of digital communications tools recovered from Konoshchenok revealed saved contacts starting with the prefix “FSB” and e-mail addresses from “FSB[.]ru” domains. Certainly one of Konoshchenok’s calendar entries referenced an “FSB order.”
As described within the indictment, Estonia was a preferred transshipment level, the place Konoshchenok would smuggle U.S.-origin gadgets throughout the border into Russia. On October 27, 2022, Konoshchenok was detained by Estonian authorities trying to cross into Russia from Estonia with roughly 35 various kinds of semiconductors and digital elements, together with a number of U.S.-origin and export-controlled gadgets. Konoshchenok has additionally been repeatedly stopped by Estonian border officers trying to smuggle a whole bunch of hundreds of American-made and export-controlled rounds into Russia, together with 6.5 mm, 7 mm, .338 and .308 magnum rounds, that are generally utilized by snipers, in addition to military-grade .223 rounds. Up to now, over half a ton of military-grade ammunition linked to Konoshchenok has been recovered or interdicted earlier than being smuggled into Russia. Konoshchenok used an Estonian entrance firm known as “Stonebridge Assets” and communicated incessantly with different co-conspirators about sourcing, transporting and paying for managed gadgets. In digital communications, Konoshchenok is evident that his charge is “10%” as a result of he “can’t do much less. Sanctions . . . Sanction merchandise for 10%.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a most of 30 years’ imprisonment. The costs within the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed harmless except and till confirmed responsible.
The federal government’s case is being dealt with by the Workplace’s Nationwide Safety and Cybercrime Part. Assistant United States Attorneys Artie McConnell, Craig Heeren, and Matthew Skurnik are in control of the prosecution, together with Trial Legal professional Scott A. Claffee of the Nationwide Safety Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Management Part.
The Defendant :
VADIM KONOSHCHENOK
Age: 48
Tallin, Estonia
