Douglas Edward Robertson, a 56-year-old former vice president of KanRus Trading Company Inc., based in Olathe, Kansas, has pleaded guilty to his role in a years-long conspiracy to illegally export U.S. avionics equipment to Russia and Russian end users.
According to court documents, Robertson admitted to conspiring with others, including co-defendants Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky of Lawrence, Kansas, and Oleg Chistyakov, aka Olegs Čitsjakovs, of Riga, Latvia, to smuggle U.S.-origin avionics equipment to end users in Russia, as well as Russian end users in other foreign countries.
Robertson further admitted that he, Buyanovsky, and Chistyakov smuggled a repaired Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) to the FSB by removing the FSB sticker from the device before sending the device to a U.S. company to be repaired and then exporting the TCAS back to the FSB in Russia.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the U.S. government tightened export controls concerning Russia, Robertson, Buyanovsky, and Chistyakov continued to purchase and export U.S.-origin avionics equipment to customers in Russia and took numerous steps to hide their illegal activity from law enforcement, including by lying to U.S. suppliers about the intended end users.
The Justice Department will not tolerate those who seek to undermine the effectiveness of export controls that protect critical U.S. technology and deter Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.
Roberston admitted that between 2020 and when he was arrested in March 2023, he conspired with others to smuggle U.S.-origin avionics equipment to end users in Russia, as well as Russian end users in other foreign countries by, among other actions, knowingly filing false export forms and failing to file required export forms with the U.S. government.
The exact criminal charges against Robertson are not specified in the article.
Robertson’s guilty plea is reflective of the strong evidence gathered against him by federal investigators and the solid case presented by federal prosecutors, said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas.
Robertson, the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company Inc., is expected to face consequences for his actions, although the exact sentence or outcome is not specified in the article.
Key Facts
- State: Kansas
- Category: Violent Crime,White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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