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One year ago, on February 16, 2023, the Departments of Justice and Commerce, along with partners at the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, established the Disruptive Technology Strike Force to vigorously protect advanced technologies from illicit acquisition by foreign adversaries . Together, the agencies that make up the Strike Force have taken a comprehensive approach to proactively take enforcement action against illegal procurement networks and prevent nation-state actors from illicitly obtaining our most sensitive technologies.
In the 12 months since its inception, Commando has successfully:
Charged in 14 cases involving alleged violations of sanctions and export controls, smuggling conspiracies and other crimes related to the illegal transfer of sensitive information, goods and military-grade technology to Russia, China or Iran.These cases were brought through the work of the U.S. Attorney‘ offices across the country, as well as the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
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Eight cases accuse the defendants of sending or attempting to send semiconductors, microelectronics or other technology to Russia in violation of U.S. law.
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In January 2024, Brooklyn and Los Angeles businessman Ilya Kahn was arrested on suspicion of running a years-long scheme to illegally ship goods to a sanctioned company using a network of businesses in China and other transshipment points. Russian companies export hundreds of thousands of semiconductors. Evading export controls.
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In December 2023, Belgian national Hans Maria De Geetere was charged in two separate cases and linked to a years-long scheme to export from the United States to other countries. He was arrested in Belgium for crimes related to sensitive military-grade technology, including complex circuits and surveillance technology. Russian and Chinese end users.
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In October 2023, Salimdzhon Nasriddinov, a dual Russian and Tajik national living in Brooklyn, and Canadian citizens Nikolay Goltsev and Kristina Pugh Kristina Puzyreva was arrested for scheming to source, purchase and transport millions of dollars worth of dual-use electronics from the United States, including those used in guided missile systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). )s component.
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In October 2023, Brooklyn resident Nikolay Grigorev was arrested, as were Russian citizens Nikita Arkhipov and Artem Olovnikov Oloviannikov is accused of orchestrating the procurement of dual-use electronic components, including semiconductors, for Russian military-affiliated companies.
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In September 2023, Russian citizen Maxim Marchenko was accused of using a Hong Kong shell company to smuggle large quantities of microelectronic products with military uses to end users in Russia.
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In August 2023, Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian and German citizen, was arrested in Cyprus for his involvement in a scheme to purchase American microelectronics on behalf of a Russian supplier that Provides critical electronic components to manufacturers that supply weapons and other equipment to the Russian military.
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In May 2023, Greek national Nikolaos Bogonikolos was indicted for overseeing a years-long smuggling of U.S.-origin military and dual-use technology to Russia, including sensitive components for quantum cryptography and nuclear weapons testing. arrested for the action.
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In May 2023, Russian citizens Oleg Sergeyevich Patsulya and Vasilii Sergeyevich were indicted for conspiracy to violate export control laws and money laundering Arrested for accessing Aeroflot aircraft technology.
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The cases were brought in partnership with the KleptoCapture Task Force, an interagency law enforcement agency dedicated to enforcing comprehensive sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures imposed by the United States and its allies and partners in response to Russia’s unprovoked military intrusion. Ukraine.
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Three cases accuse former employees of U.S. companies of stealing confidential and proprietary information related to sensitive technology and trying to bring it to China.
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In February 2024, California resident Gong Chenguang was arrested for transferring more than 3,600 documents containing proprietary information from his employer, including documents containing blueprints for sophisticated missile detection technology. According to the complaint, Gong sought funding from a “talent program” administered by the People’s Republic of China, which recruits individuals overseas with expertise needed by the Chinese government to develop similar technologies.
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In May 2023, Li Liming of California was arrested on suspicion of stealing sensitive technology from Southern California employers and using the technology to promote his own competing companies to Chinese companies.
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In May 2023, Weibao Wang, a California man and former Apple employee, was charged for allegedly stealing Apple hardware and software related to autonomous systems such as self-driving cars. He allegedly left Apple to work as an engineer at a U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese company, and after a search of his home, Wang left the country for China.
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Three cases allege individuals seeking to purchase sensitive U.S. technology on behalf of the Iranian government or Iranian end-users.
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In February 2024, Iranian national Abolfazi Bazzazi and his son Mohammad Resa Bazzazi were charged with violating U.S. sanctions by procuring aerospace products and technology that could be used in Iran’s aerospace industry.
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In January 2023, four Chinese citizens Liu Baoxia, You Huayong, Li Yongxin, and Zhong Yanlai were charged with smuggling, through Chinese front companies, manufactured goods used in the production of drones and ballistic missile systems to Iranian entities with ties to Iran. American items. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Defense.
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In May 2023, Chinese citizen Qiao Xiangjiang was charged with multiple crimes involving using a sanctioned Chinese company to provide Iran with high-tech materials for the production of weapons of mass destruction in exchange for payments through U.S. financial institutions. system.
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Securing a guilty plea from a defendant for participating in a multimillion-dollar scheme to send electronic components for use in drones, missile systems and other weapons to sanctioned entities in Russia.
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In February 2024, Canadian national Kristina Puzyreva, one of the three defendants charged in the case, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in a complex sanctions and export control scheme involving two Brooklyn companies a part of.
Temporary denial orders were issued against 29 entities, including airlines, freight forwarders, and defense companies, cutting off their access to controlled U.S. items.
Helped numerous groups to be placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List and the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons Lists.
Build international partnerships dedicated to preventing the theft of critical technologies by foreign adversaries.
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Following the Attorney General’s previous trip to Ukraine, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen and Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod will travel in November 2023 Kyiv, reaffirming the strike force’s close cooperation with the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and its commitment to curb illegal activities. Advanced technology flows to Russia.
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Following the Camp David Leaders Summit with President Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea, the Departments of Justice and Commerce took steps to establish a disruptive technology protection network with South Korea and Japan to expand cooperation on technology protection measures, including expanding information-III Share and exchange best practices among law enforcement agencies in various countries.
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As part of the Munich Security Conference, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olson and Assistant Secretary Matthew Axelrod participated in a panel discussion on protecting disruptive technologies in a new era of economic statecraft.
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Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco was in the UK this week to announce the launch of a strike force in February 2023. In a speech she discussed the national security risks posed by artificial intelligence and why it is the future of the strike force. Prime Minister delivered a speech. strength.
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Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olson spoke and participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the National Academy of Sciences at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany. During the visit, AAG Olsen reaffirmed the Department of Defense’s close partnerships with foreign counterparts to stem the flow of sensitive technology to foreign adversaries.
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Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod speaks on international partnerships, focusing on Strike Force, at the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control’s Bureau of Industry and Security Export Control Forum in Frankfurt, Germany.
Build partnerships with the private sector to work directly with companies involved in the manufacture, sale and transportation of sensitive export controlled items.
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Industry outreach events in Boston, Houston, and Phoenix to educate industry about Strike Force efforts to prevent the flow of sensitive technology to our adversaries, recent corporate enforcement initiatives, and work with investigators to resolve export compliance issues Tips and best practices on issues, cybersecurity and protecting intellectual property.
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Roundtable discussion with compliance officers and technical experts from multiple cutting-edge technology companies, research institutions and defense contractors.
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Visited the largest and third largest commercial ports in the United States.
New interagency partners have been added to the operation and an execution team has been added to the strike force.
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To strategically align Strike Force’s presence with the location of critical technology-related industries across the United States, Strike Force has added law enforcement teams in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Western District of Texas, and the Southern District of Georgia.
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