AUSTIN, Texas - Three foreign nationals--a Russian citizen and two Bulgarian citizens-- have been charged in connection with a scheme to procure sensitive radiation-hardened circuits from the US and ship them to Russia without required licenses.
The trio, 48-year-old Russian national Ilias Sabirov, 70-year-old Bulgarian national Dimitar Dimitrov and 46-year-old Bulgarian national Milan Dimitrov, have been charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), and a money-laundering statute.
The unsealed indictment alleges the trio used Bulgarian company Multi Technology Integration Group EEOD (MTIG) to receive controlled items from the U.S. and send them to Russia. Under U.S. export control law, the goods could not be shipped to Russia without the permission of the U.S. government, says the US Department of Justice.
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According to the indictment, Sabirov is the head of two Russian companies--Cosmos Complect and OOO Sovtest Comp.--and controls MTIG. Both Dimitar Dimitrov and Milan Dimitrov worked for Sabirov at Cosmos Complect and MTIG.
In 2014, the defendants met with the supplier of the radiation-hardened components in Austin and were informed that radiation-hardened circuits could not be shipped to Russia because of U.S. trade restrictions, says the indictment. Stymied by U.S. law, Sabirov allegedly established MTIG in Bulgaria and bought the controlled electronic circuits. The radiation-hardened properties of these circuits made them resistant to damage or malfunction in the harsh outer-space environment. Export of the parts was controlled by the U.S. government for these very reasons.
The parts were shipped to Bulgaria in 2015, and MTIG soon thereafter allegedly shipped them to Sabirov's companies in Russia. OOO Sovtest Comp. transferred over $1 million to MTIG for the controlled U.S. parts.
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In the same timeframe, MTIG, allegedly at Sabirov's direction, ordered over $1.7 million in other electronic components produced by another U.S. electronics manufacturer. MTIG bought these parts to fulfill part of its contract with OOO Sovtest Comp. Again, the parts were shipped from the U.S. to Bulgaria, where they were merely repackaged and onward shipped to Russia.
In late 2018, a Department of Commerce Export Control Officer interviewed Milan Dimitrov during a visit at MTIG to determine whether the radiation-hardened components were still in MTIG's possession in Bulgaria. Milan Dimitrov, among other things, fraudulently denied sending the components to Russia, says the DOJ.
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The indictment charges Sabirov, Dimitar Dimitrov and Milan Dimitrov with two counts related to violations of IEEPA and one count of money laundering. The indictment also charges Milan Dimitrov with one count of false statements to the government. Each count charged in the indictment calls for up to 20 years in federal prison upon conviction.
In conjunction with the unsealing of these charges, the DOJ says the Department of Commerce is designating Ilias Sabirov, Dimitar Dimitrov, Milan Dimitrov, Mariana Marinova Gargova, MTIG EOOD, Cosmos Complect, and OOO Sovtest Comp., adding them to its Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List. Designation on the Entity List imposes a license requirement before any commodities can be exported from the U.S. to these persons or companies and establishes a presumption that no such license will be granted.
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The DOJ says the Entity List identifies foreign parties that are prohibited from receiving some or all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) unless the exporter secures a license. Those persons present a greater risk of diversion to weapons of mass destruction programs, terrorism, or other activities contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.
Commerce - Office of Export Enforcement can add to the Entity List a foreign party, such as an individual, business, research institution or government organization, for engaging in activities contrary to U.S. national security and/or foreign policy interests, says the DOJ. In most instances, license exceptions are unavailable for the export, re-export, or transfer (in-country) to a party on the Entity List of items subject to the EAR. Rather, a prior license is required, usually subject to a policy of denial.
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