Belarusian citizen extradited to US on charges of smuggling aircraft parts to Russia
Kyiv • UNN
33-year-old Belarusian citizen Yana Leonova was extradited from France to the United States. She is accused of conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act, smuggling and money laundering, and defrauding the United States.
Yana Leonova, a 33-year-old Belarusian citizen, has been extradited from France to the United States of America. She is accused of conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, smuggling, money laundering, and fraud against the United States. This is reported by UNN with reference to a statement by the US Department of Justice.
Details
According to the statement, Leonova had recently lived in Russia. She also appeared in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The indictment states that after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in May 2022, Leonova, together with accomplices in the United States, acquired and illegally exported a number of aviation electronic devices and equipment to the Russian Federation.
This equipment was planned for use on private jets belonging to Leonova's former employer - a company listed on the US Department of Commerce's Entity List.
It is reported that Leonova, together with accomplices, purchased aviation components from American suppliers and then illegally transported them to Russia through intermediary companies in Armenia, the Maldives, and other countries, without having the necessary US licenses.
The defendant tried to circumvent US law to enrich herself by purchasing and illegally exporting aviation equipment and other prohibited equipment from the US to Russia. She used intermediary countries in an attempt to conceal the identity of the ultimate recipient in Russia.
According to the US Department of Justice, Leonova and her accomplices systematically concealed and provided false information about the true end recipients and destinations of aircraft components in the documentation.
In addition, the Belarusian citizen organized the transportation of goods to Russia through intermediary destinations and made payment transfers in US dollars from foreign bank accounts to American accounts.
Before extradition, Leonova testified in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.