PHOENIX — A Russian national who was arrested in Arizona was sentenced to prison for his role in an illegal export scheme, authorities said Wednesday.
Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya, 46, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for his role in a “conspiracy to send airplane technology and laundered money in connection with the export scheme,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin, Patsulya’s co-conspirator in the scheme, was sentenced to two years in prison in December.
Patsulya, who is from Miami, Florida, previously pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to export items from the United States without a license in violation of the Export Control Reform Act and conspiracy to commit international money laundering” in April 2024, authorities said.
Why were the Russian nationals sentenced to prison?
Authorities said in May 2022, Patsulya and Besedin conspired with several others to acquire orders of aircraft parts in order for Russian buyers to purchase the items.
Patsulya and Besedin admitted they knew the items required a license from the Department of Commerce to export.
Prosecutors said Patsulya and Besedin conspired to export shipments of a carbon disc brake system that is for a Boeing 737 airplane as part of the scheme.
When they tried to obtain the brake system, Besedin and Patsulya gave false information that the parts were for countries other than Russia. The U.S. was able to detain shipments of the brake assembly technology prior to being exported.
As part of their pleas, Patsulya and Besedin, who were arrested in Arizona on May 11, admitted to attempting to hide the exports and identity of who were buying the airplane parts.
U.S. District Court Judge Dominic W. Lanza handled the sentencing in the case.
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