Counter Proliferation Investigation Unit

On May 23, Stanislav Romanyuk, 39, a citizen of Ukraine last residing in Estonia, pleaded guilty in federal court to a money laundering charge stemming from his role in a scheme to violate U.S. export laws and regulations.

Stanislav Romanyuk, 39, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a scheme to violate U.S. export laws and regulations by attempting to smuggle a dual-use export-controlled item to Russia.

This transfer is the first of its kind from the United States to a foreign ally for the express purpose of assisting Ukraine, and the second time the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture has made confiscated Russian assets available for Ukraine — having provided $5.4 million in forfeited funds last year to the State Department for the support of Ukrainian war veterans. The confiscated funds are being transferred to Estonia since under current authorities, the facts of this case do not allow for a direct transfer to Ukraine.

Following a multi-year HSI investigation into global trade networks, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging Iranian national Hossein Hatefi Ardakani and co-defendant Gary Lam, who worked for a Chinese company, with crimes related to the procurement of U.S.-manufactured dual-use microelectronics for the IRGC ASF SSJO's one-way attack UAV program.

Taiwan business organization DES International Co., Ltd. (DES), and Brunei business organization Soltech Industry Co., Ltd., each pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.

According to court documents, Phil Pascoe, 60, of Floyds Knobs, Indiana; Monica Pascoe, 45, of Floyds Knobs, Indiana; Scott Tubbs, 59, of Georgetown, Kentucky; and Quadrant Magnetics LLC were charged with wire fraud, violations of the Arms Export Control Act and smuggling of goods for their roles in an illegal scheme to send export-controlled defense-related technical data to China and to unlawfully supply the U.S. Department of Defense with Chinese-origin rare earth magnets for aviation systems and military items. 

In authorizing the seizure of the Boeing 737-7EM owned by PJSC LUKOIL, the court found probable cause that the aircraft was subject to seizure based on violations of federal law.

Obaidullah Syed, 67, of Northbrook, pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to export goods from the U.S. without a license from the Department of Commerce and to submit false export information. U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland on Tuesday sentenced Syed to a year and a day in federal prison. Prior to sentencing, Syed forfeited $247,000 of criminally derived funds to the U.S. government.

Nathan Nichols, a 46-year-old Corpus Christi resident, pleaded guilty March 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to conspiring with others to steal $2,176,000 in sensitive military equipment from U.S. Army Garrison Ft. Hood in June 2021.

NAVCENT seized the weapons from two flagless vessels in the Arabian Sea on Nov. 25, 2019, and Feb. 9, 2020, respectively. The weapons included 171 guided anti-tank missiles, eight surface-to-air missiles, land attack cruise missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, thermal weapons optics and other components for missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.