Russian National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling U.S. Aerospace Goods to Russia
Monday, September 14, 2026 - Andrei Samuilovski, 32, who has citizenship in Estonia, Switzerland, and Russia, pleaded guilty today in connection with a scheme to illegally export U.S.-origin aviation and aerospace parts to Russia in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Samuilovski pleaded guilty before Judge Carl J. Nichols to a one count information charging him with conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act. A sentencing date is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2027. Samuilovski faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, beginning in or around early 2022 and continuing through September 2024, Samuilovski and others conspired to supply prohibited Russian end users with aerospace-related components without first obtaining the required licenses from the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). BIS regulates the export of U.S.-origin technologies, including aerospace parts and other items controlled for national security, regional stability, and anti-terrorism reasons. A license from BIS was required to export the aerospace commodities to Russia.
Samuilovski was a co-founder of ITC Middle East FZ-LLC (ITC). ITC was officially established in March of 2022, approximately four weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to increased Russian export restrictions and sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union, and other countries.
Between the founding of ITC and September 2024, there were dozens of shipments from various U.S. companies to ITC, as well as other shipments of U.S.-origin goods to ITC. The U.S.-origin items exported or reexported consisted primarily of export-controlled aerospace-related commodities with a cumulative value of nearly $2,000,000. These items were ultimately reexported to Russia.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division made the announcement.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the BIS.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Wasserman for the District of Columbia and Deputy Chief Sean Heiden and Trial Attorney Brett Ruff of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
Source: Justice.gov
