Vladimir Kuznetsov, Exporting Rifle Parts, New York 2023

A Brooklyn man has been charged with illegally exporting rifle parts to Russia, violating national security laws.

Vladimir Kuznetsov, a Russian national, was arrested this morning in Dingsman Ferry, Pennsylvania, and will make his initial appearance this afternoon in Brooklyn before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara.

According to the criminal complaint, from approximately February 2017 to the present, Kuznetsov and others conspired to export and exported from the United States to Russia, firearm parts and other items on the United States Commerce Control List. These items are restricted and cannot be exported from the United States without licenses from the United States Department of State and United States Department of Commerce.

Kuznetsov purchased U.S.-origin firearm parts online, including parts used to assemble sniper rifles. He then shipped the firearm parts via the U.S. Postal Service to buyers in Russia. To avoid detection, Kuznetsov provided false descriptions of the items contained in each package, and hid rifle parts inside the packages.

The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Kuznetsov faces a statutory maximum of 20 years' imprisonment.

Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York Field Office (HSI), and Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Special Agent-in-Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office, (DCIS), announced the charges.

“Kuznetsov is alleged to have illegally exported firearm parts to Russia, including parts to assemble rifles, by methodically mislabeling the packages and concealing the parts,” said HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Fitzhugh. “The safety of our nation is paramount in our counter-proliferation cases, and HSI will continue to investigate those who choose to fill their pockets with illicit proceeds by putting the security of our country at risk.”

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/brooklyn-man-charged-illegally-exporting-rifle-parts-russia