Belarusian in the USA Found Guilty of Violating Sanctions Against Russia
A federal jury in Boston found 37-year-old Belarusian and American citizen Kiryl Hardzei guilty of illegally exporting an Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 mass spectrometer from the USA to Russia without the required license, writes Reform.news.
Kiryl Hardzei. Photo: apps.sheriff.org
Hardzei was found guilty on three charges: conspiracy against the USA, smuggling of goods, and illegal export of goods subject to export control. The maximum penalty for violating export control is up to 20 years in prison, for smuggling — up to 10 years, for conspiracy — up to 5 years; large fines are also possible. The verdict is scheduled for January 12, 2027.
Hardzei was detained in late June 2024. He managed the freight forwarding company Apelsin Logistics in Florida, which had an address and websites in Russia.
According to the indictment, in August 2023, Hardzei arranged the shipment of the spectrometer to Uzbekistan, although the equipment was actually intended for Russia. The device's cost exceeded 600 thousand dollars. After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, such equipment was added to the list of goods for which a special license is required for export to Russia. Hardzei did not have one. The spectrometer was first exported from the USA to Turkey, and from there, its delivery to Moscow was organized.