Latest news with #FlighttimeEnterprises
Euronews
05-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Uptick in US aircraft parts smuggling into Russia, bypassing export controls
Russian civil aviation is facing a severe crisis as Western sanctions make it difficult to import plane components, with a reported uptick in the amount of US aircraft parts smuggled illegally into Russia. On 13 February, the US Department of Justice announced that it had charged three people with illegally exporting aircraft components from the US to Russia. The three defendants — employees of Flighttime Enterprises, an American subsidiary of a Russian company — allegedly shipped goods to Russia without the required licences. The US implemented these checks following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A statement released by the Southern District of Ohio detailed that four plane parts valued collectively at more than €1.86 million ($2 million) were exported without the necessary controls. The indictment also specified that the three defendants "knowingly and wilfully violated" export restrictions, reportedly using intermediary companies to conceal the final destination of the goods they were handling. 'We will not tolerate export violations or smuggling of items contrary to US laws to any part of the world, Russia included,' said US Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. US-made Boeing and EU-made Airbus planes make up two-thirds of Russia's commercial fleet and carry about 90 percent of its passengers, according to Radio Free Europe. Russia's aviation industry has been heavily impacted by Western sanctions, struggling to get hold of the parts it needs to upkeep its aircraft. This has led airlines to put passenger safety at risk, with exiled Russian investigative outlet Novaya Gazeta reporting that there has been a sharp increase in plane failures in Russia.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Feds: West Chester firm illegally exported aircraft parts to Russia
A West Chester Township company and three former and current employees have been charged in a scheme to illegally export aircraft parts to Russia, according to federal authorities. Flighttime Enterprises, Inc. is a subsidiary of a Russian aircraft parts supplier with locations in West Chester and Miami, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio. Flighttime and the three defendants are accused of violating and evading export restrictions imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine to ship aviation parts to Russia. The 11-count indictment details four export transactions totaling more than $2 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The three individuals charged are Daniela Friery, 43, a naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Loveland; Pavil Iglin, 46, a citizen of Russia living in Florida on a non-immigrant visa; and Marat Aysin, 39, a legal permanent resident of the United States residing in Florida. The company and three defendants are facing multiple charges related to violating the Export Control Reform Act, smuggling, and conspiring to launder monetary instruments. The charges each carry penalties of up to 10 to 20 years in prison. 'We will not tolerate export violations or smuggling of items contrary to U.S. laws to any part of the world, Russia included,' U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said in a news release. 'These illicit activities are extremely harmful to our country, regardless of the item that is smuggled," Parker said. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Feds: West Chester firm illegally exported aircraft parts to Russia
