Washington, Jan 17 (IANS) A Delhi-based businessman has been sentenced to 30 months in US federal prison for conspiring to illegally export controlled aviation components from Oregon to Russia, violating American export control laws, the Justice Department said.
Sanjay Kaushik, 58, was sentenced in Portland, Oregon, to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to ship sensitive aviation technology to Russian end users without required US government approvals, according to court records.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced the sentence.
US officials said the case involved deliberate efforts to evade export controls that protect national security.
“Those who scheme to circumvent US export control laws -- especially when it involves technologies with military applications -- will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said.
“This was no lapse in judgment. It was a calculated, profit-driven scheme involving repeated transactions, substantial gains, and coordination with foreign co-conspirators, including sanctioned Russian entities,” said US Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E. Bradford.
Federal prosecutors said beginning in early September 2023, Kaushik conspired to unlawfully obtain aerospace goods and technology for entities in Russia.
The items were purchased under false claims that they were meant for Kaushik and his India-based company, when they were actually intended for Russian customers, the alleged.
In one instance highlighted by authorities, Kaushik and his co-conspirators purchased an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) from an Oregon supplier.
The AHRS provides navigation and flight control data for aircraft and is subject to strict US export controls.
To secure approval for the purchase, Kaushik and others falsely claimed that his Indian company was the final user and that the system would be used in a civilian helicopter.
In reality, prosecutors said, the plan was to route the component through India and then send it on to a customer in Russia.
The AHRS was ultimately detained before it could leave the United States.
Kaushik was arrested in Miami, Florida, on October 17, 2024, following the filing of a criminal complaint and the issuance of an arrest warrant. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
On October 9, 2025, Kaushik pleaded guilty to one count of the indictment, admitting that he conspired to sell export-controlled aviation components with both civilian and military applications to Russian end users.
--IANS
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