Americans Charged in Russia Arms Ring

| December 14, 2022


Russia Federal Security Service

Seven men were charged in a Brooklyn federal court Tuesday for allegedly bypassing arms sanctions against Russia. Two of the men are U.S. citizens and the other five are Russian nationals. They are suspected of secretly funneling millions of dollars’ worth of sensitive military and other equipment through New Hampshire and elsewhere to evade U.S. sanctions.

The items included sniper rifle ammunition and electronics used in nuclear or hypersonic weapons.

Prosecutors suspect one of the Russian defendants is an agent of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), comparable to our CIA.

The suspected agent, one Vadim Konoshchenok, was arrested in Estonia after a raided warehouse revealed contraband U.S. ammunition. He’ll face an extradition trial there.

Alexey Brayman of New Hampshire and Vadim Yermolenko of New Jersey were arrested. The other four Russian defendants, Yevgeniy Grinin, Aleksey Ippolitov, Boris Livshits and Svetlana Skvortsova are in the wind.

The U.S. accused all seven defendants of running a “global procurement and money laundering network on behalf of the Russian government.”

LC was thoughtful enough to send us a couple links.

Five Russian Nationals, Including Suspected FSB Officer, and Two U.S. Nationals Charged with Helping the Russian Military and Intelligence Agencies Evade Sanctions

The Defendants Conspired to Obtain Military-Grade and Dual-Use Technologies from U.S. Companies for Russia’s Defense Sector

A 16-count superseding indictment was unsealed yesterday in Brooklyn charging five Russian nationals, Yevgeniy Grinin, Aleksey Ippolitov, Boris Livshits, Svetlana Skvortsova and Vadim Konoshchenok with conspiracy and other charges related to a global procurement and money laundering network on behalf of the Russian government. Konoshchenok, a suspected officer with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), was arrested in Estonia on December 6, 2022 and will undergo extradition proceedings to the United States. Grinin, Ippolitov, Livshits and Skvortsova remain at large. Estonian authorities searched a warehouse used by Konoshchenok and recovered approximately 375 pounds worth of U.S.-origin ammunition. Alexey Brayman, a lawful permanent resident of the United States residing in New Hampshire, and Vadim Yermolenko, a U.S. citizen residing in New Jersey, were also arrested and charged as part of scheme.

Justice.gov
NECN

The defendants each face up to 30 years in prison. Viktor Bout unavailable for comment.

Thanks, LC.

Category: Crime, Guest Link, Russia

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Roh-Dog

[Estonia officials have seized] 375 pounds worth of U.S.-origin ammunition.

You ruined his weekend!!

Roh-Dog

I’d hope so! Just to put it in perspective, that’s about 13,000 rounds of 5.56NATO.

Speaking of, cost of ammo could go stupid squared:

David

“Sniper rifle ammunition”…sigh. Like “assault rifle”, a BS term.

5JC

I am guessing since they gave the amount in pounds instead of count it is .50 BMG. Which could be around 1/4lb each for a stunning 1600-2000 rounds.

OMFG, with that they could take Kiev!

tom reynolds

It didn’t bother them when Obama gave Mexican drug cartels more sniper rifles than a Marine battalion has. Plus a couple thousand assault rifles and pistols to go with them. All to help prove hiLIARys lies that American guns were causing violence in Mexico. Of course they didn’t sell them,they gave them for free. Kinda like the $85,000,000,000 + Biden rearmed the Taliban with before abandoning our alies in Afghanistan. Just a small potatoes distraction to push us into WWIII.

5JC

All the Russians have to do is capture the Indiana Fever Basketball team and this all goes away.

Roh-Dog
Veritas Omnia Vincit

KoB

Word! Not condoning what the domestic enemies did in colluding with foreign enemies at all…but…We had a high level grubermint official that arranged the sale of uranium to a foreign enemy and was rewarded with speaking engagements for her enabled sleaze bag husband. And our grubermint highest level official just released a known war criminal to get an America hating pot head. Maybe these fellows got busted ’cause the Big Guy didn’t get his 10%? Will the Infernal Revenue Suckers go after them for the taxes that should have been collected? Should state sales tax be due? Import/export taxes?

ninja

hbtd/rtr/armybeatnavy

😉😎

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tom reynolds

Com’n man,that was so long ago. What’s next,are you going to say she should give back the $6,000,000,000 in aid she stole from Haiti? You know they would have just wasted it on food for their starving people. Next you’re going to want to know why the wife of the Mayor of Moscow (Russia) wrote Hunter a check for $5,000,000. Sounds like you’ve had too much to think. /s

AW1 Rod

Seven more scumbags who need to be shot (or hanged).

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Holy Moly, They were really in a rush Russian the Mil stuff over to the Russians. If the 7 didn’t have arms, they wouldn’t be able to lift the material that they were Russian to send out.

MustangCPT

Maybe we’ll trade one of these guys for Paul Whelan?

rgr769

I hope we get him back. However, I wish the media would stop portraying him as a war hero. With his court martial conviction and BCD, he doesn’t even qualify to be called a former Marine.

MustangCPT

Oh, I agree. Far from a poster child for honorable service. And, let’s be honest, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he was involved in some shady shit out there.

ninja

“Was American Teacher Left Behind In Russian Prison Camp Because He Wasn’t Woke Enough For Team Biden?
Russians Imprisoned American Teacher For Drug Offense Similar To Griner’s But He’s Still In Custody.”

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/was-american-teacher-left-behind-russian-prison-camp-because-he-wasnt-woke-enough-team-biden

“On December 8, Americans woke up to the news of the Biden administration’s negotiated prisoner swap of WNBA player Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.”

“Joe Biden vowed he had not forgotten about former Marine Paul Whelan, another American being held by the Russians.”

“But there was another American prisoner’s name that the president failed even to mention: Marc Fogel.”

“In August 2021, he was detained at the Sheremetyevo Airport with a small amount of medical marijuana prescribed for his chronic back pain – similar to Griner’s situation. Less than a year later, Fogel was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor in a Russian prison.”

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ninja

“US Teacher In Russian Prison Wants Help From US Amid Brittney Griner Saga”

https://nypost.com/2022/07/29/teacher-in-russia-prison-blasts-biden-over-griner/amp/

“An American educator imprisoned in Russia said he feels “hurt” to be overlooked as the Biden administration works to bring Brittney Griner home, arguing that educators “are at least as important” as basketball players.”

“Marc Hilliard Fogel, 61 — who was arrested last August at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for trying to enter the country with about 20 grams of medical marijuana — worries about his own fate after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that the US made a “substantial proposal” to bring home Griner and ex-Marine Paul Whelan”.

“That hurt. Teachers are at least as important as bballers,” Fogel wrote in a letter sent to his home in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, of the news reports of the possible exchange for convicted “Merchant of Death” Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.”

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MustangCPT

I was going to bring this guy up as well. Here’s the thing, you KNOW that you’re going to a place where the government is hostile to our country. And you know that their laws are more strict on that kind of stuff. Why would you put yourself in that position? I can’t think of any reason to visit Russia. Hell, I won’t visit Mexico even though I have family there because it isn’t safe. Common sense, people. Use it.

ninja

Agree 100% what you wrote, MustangCPT!!!

👍👍👍

USMC Steve

He is a teacher/indoctrinator. Probably liberal given the political leanings of that profession, and thus believes with all his heart and soul that he is special, unique, and the rules are for everyone but him. Thus he jammed himself up.

MustangCPT

Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. A smart person would have their eyes opened by such an experience. For example, as much as lieberals complain about prisons in this country, I’m sure they’re like a 3-star hotel compared to a Russian labor camp. They’re probably busting their asses for 12+ hours per day with shitty food and nasty cells. Not that I feel particularly sorry for him or his fellow prisoners. They fucked around, now they’re finding out.

ninja

rgr769:

Agree.

Some news media identified Whalen as a “Retired” Marine.

🙄

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Veritas Omnia Vincit

More fucking traitors…must be traitor Wednesday apparently…

Roh-Dog

Is the CBP gonna go after the guilty Spaniards and Israelis that did these heinous acts?

The illegal shipments contained 56 types of gun parts and accessories, including grips, sights, swivels, slings, rifles stocks and conversion kits (FOX)

Someone might brace a pistol or something

Firearm.jpg
5JC

Madness… it makes it 45% more deadly and increases accuracy by 127%. It’s like getting a free level up on CoD.

USMC Steve

THIS is what they were going bugfuck over? A commercially available Roni type Glock adapter?

Anonymous

Meanwhile, Russkies gonna Russky– rapin’ mothers and daughters like it’s Germany in ’45 again in Ukraine:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-defector-said-soldiers-unit-103452919.html

Last edited 1 year ago by Anonymous
Graybeard

There are good reasons my aunt and her mother were afraid of the Russians when they captured Berlin.

Graybeard

Too bad the Clintons, Bidens, and their goons aren’t among the charged & arrested.

Skyjumper

Some more info:

….on Oct. 27, 2022, Konoshchenok was stopped at the Estonian border with 35 different types of semiconductors and other electronic components ordered by Livshits, as well as thousands of U.S.-made 6.5mm bullets, which are used in military sniper rifles. On Nov. 24, 2022, Konoshchenok was again stopped attempting to cross into Russia with approximately 20 cases containing thousands of U.S.-origin bullets, including tactical rounds and .338 military sniper rounds. Konoshchenok discussed “fabricating” business records with Livshits to conceal the ammunition shipments, on one occasion describing them as “auto parts.” Incident to Konoshchenok’s arrest, Estonian authorities searched a warehouse held in the name of Konoshchenok’s son and recovered approximately 375 pounds worth of ammunition.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/russian-military-and-intelligence-agencies-procurement-network-indicted-brooklyn-federal

Skyjumper

The “lovely” Ms. Svetlana Skvortsova:
https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/counterintelligence/svetlana-skvortsova

Skyjumper

Is it the grade schooler in me, or does anyone else find it amusing one of these guys having the last name of “Livshits”?  😂 

MustangCPT

I worked with a guy who had that last name. He had served in the Soviet army and emigrated to the USA. Smart guy, but utterly lacking in common sense and had no concept of electrical safe work practices. My defining image of him was when I walked into the electric power lab at my job and seeing him surrounded by arcing electrical equipment and smoke saying, “is ok, is ok.” Fortunately, one of my coworkers had the presence of mind to hit the emergency stop push button and kill all of the power in the lab. 🤣⚡️⚡️⚡️