SARASOTA, Fla. — A man from Russia living in the Tampa Bay area is accused of several crimes, including conspiracy and smuggling, according to the Department of Justice.
Denis Postovoy, 44, was arrested Monday morning in Sarasota on an indictment charging him with "conspiring to violate the Expert Control Reform Act, to commit smuggling, to commit money laundering, and to defraud the United States."
According to the DOJ, Postovoy, a Russian citizen, allegedly broke the law by getting certain microelectronic components with military applications and sending them from the U.S. to Russia. Those components reportedly can be used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones).
Postovoy's alleged crimes began at least as far back as February 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The DOJ says Postovoy and others used companies he owns or operates in Russia, Hong Kong and elsewhere to buy the microelectronics from U.S.-based distributors and export them to Russia "without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce."
Postovoy is accused of "repeatedly" concealing or misstating where exactly the exported microelectronics were going by submitting documents with false information. During the alleged crime, Postovoy would ship items to intermediary destinations, including Hong Kong and Switzerland, that would eventually end up in Russia, their intended destination.
"According to the indictment, this defendant illegally exported dual-use technology to Russia that could bolster its capabilities to wage its unprovoked war against Ukraine,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said in a statement.
“As alleged, he lied about the final destination for the technology he was shipping and used intermediary destinations to mask this illegal activity," he continued. "Fortunately, our skilled law enforcement partners at HSI and our dedicated attorneys unraveled the plot.”
Postovoy's arrest reportedly came as a result of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, "an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states."