US technology sales to Russia lead to a Kansas businessman's conspiracy plea
ABC News
The U.S. Department of Justice says the owner of a Kansas company has pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to illegally export aviation-related technology to Russia
TOPEKA, Kan. -- A Kansas businessman pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal criminal charges stemming from what prosecutors described as a conspiracy to illegally export aviation-related technology to Russia, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S. and a single count of conspiring to illegally launder money internationally, court records show. His sentencing is set for March 21 and he could face up to 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Buyanovsky also agreed to allow the U.S. government to seize $450,000 in equipment and $50,000 in personal assets. The equipment was a pallet of aviation-related devices blocked from export the day before Buyanovsky was arrested in March along with business partner Douglas Edward Robertson.
Their arrests came as the U.S. ramped up sanctions and financial penalties on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Along with thousands of sanctions on people and companies, export controls were meant to limit Russia’s access to computer chips and other products needed to equip a modern military.
A Washington attorney representing Buyanovsky, Aitan D. Goelman, declined comment when reached by phone following Tuesday's hearing before U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Kansas City, Kansas.
