Posted on 10/07/2016 8:53:49 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
NEW YORK -- An elaborate network aimed at illegally acquiring U.S.-made microelectronic components for Russian military and spy agencies has been broken up, the Justice Department said on Wednesday - but Russia later denied its spy agencies were involved.
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging 11 alleged participants in the network, as well as companies based in Houston, Texas and Moscow, with illegally exporting high-tech components from the United States to Russian security agencies.
NBCNewYork.com reported that allegations involve illegally exporting approximately $50 million worth of high-tech microelectronics.
Alexander Fishenko, an owner and executive of the American and Russian companies, was also charged with operating as an unregistered agent of the Russian government inside the U.S. Fishenko was born in Kazakhstan and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2003.
According to the indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court, the procurement network began obtaining advanced, technologically cutting edge microelectronics from manufacturers and suppliers within the U.S. and exporting those goods to Russia in October 2008, while evading the government licensing system set up to control such exports.
Russia warns Obama's 'reset' in relations 'cannot last forever'
The microelectronics shipped to Russia have applications in a wide range of military systems, including radar and surveillance systems, missile guidance systems and detonation triggers, NBCNewYork.com reported.
'Web of lies'
Court papers say the network induced manufacturers and suppliers to sell them the high-tech goods -- and to evade applicable export controls by providing false end-user information in connection with the purchase of the goods -- concealed the fact they were exporters, and falsely classified the goods they exported on export records submitted to the Department of Commerce.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.nbcnews.com ...
Like the transfer of arms to the Libyan rebels, who turned to be agents of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the beginning cells of ISIS, this was aided and abetted by officials high within the Current Regime, and even if anyone along the way is brought up on charges, somehow these charges will be summarily dismissed.
People who are ostensibly supposed to be serving America within and outside the Current Regime are actively working for our nation’s enemies.
If there is still anything left that could be called “the United States of America”.
High tech. Well, Hellary can claim she didn’t do it.
Why didn’t they cut out the middle man and by those electronic components directly from the Chinese manufacturers?
Derp.
No crime unless there was intent.
The intent was to sell export-restricted material for financial gain? Does that work for you, counselor?
For those who dare to remember history older than the yesterday NYT they're wrapping garbage in, there were two big scandals over high end VAXes being shipped to Russia back in the eighties when such machines were much sought after. In one instance, there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth, in the second instance, it was quietly handled with people fired and a couple of OEMs in the US and Europe put out of business.
Come to find out, in the first instance the machines had some flawed components to have a high failure rate when the machines were operating near capacity, as well as components with known flaws that were extremely hard to detect once those components were integrated into a system.
In the second instance, three US and European OEMs got together and set up an elaborate scheme to have the machines go through multiple hands and end up in Russia in a way they thought couldn't be traced back to them but a source inside Russia reported the arrival of the machines and their scheme things were tracked back to the OEMs involved.
Whether the components involved are critical or not is a whole different matter given the fact that most of the fabs, even for specialized military equipment, are no longer within the US anyway. Given that fact, knowing exactly how many of a given component is produced, and especially, how many of the components that are discarded due to defects are actually defective is nearly impossible.
Sometimes when public hand waving over such things is done it's justified, sometimes it's done to focus attention on anyone other than those really responsible, and sometimes it's to try and help convince the final recipient that they've gotten what they paid for without looking at it too closely.
Given the fact that there's a Presidential election campaign in full swing, it's hard to say which hand waving category this is in. I hope that if it's justified everyone involved is tracked down and actually punished to the full extent of the law rather than having a harshly worded letter sent to them by some regulatory body.
“No crime unless there was intent.”
It was sarcasm - a reference to our esteemed ex-Secretary of State and her numerous crimes against America.
Aah, thanks. My sarcasm meter is broken most of the time.
Fair enough, although I will say that if the culprit was China I doubt some folks would be so “reticent.”
Russia bought, indirectly, a Hell of a lot of sensitive technology and equipment straight from the same manufacturers that make it for the military. That was pretty much sniffed at as no big deal in the nineties but it was still, technically, illegal and without a doubt harmful to our own security. I'm not the least bit reticent to blame Russia for all sorts of things, including all levels of espionage.
I am reticent when it comes to believing they're stupid enough to do some of what they're accused of although the current crop of Generals and Admirals in the US is making me rethink my assessment of how probable it is some nitwit, basically stupid, General would do something no matter what uniform they wear (USMC excepted, and for the most part, the US Navy as well but don't tell the Yo Ho Ho boyz I said that).
Angleton was half-cracked, he was paranoid, and he had an evil streak a mile wide, all that's true. But he was absolutely right when he insisted the CIA was riddled with moles. Walker and Ames aren't the flukes authorities would have us believe they were and now look at who passes as FBI director or head of the CIA these day.
We're gutting ourselves so fast Russia, China, and anyone else who wants something can just keep raising their bid in a few places where word will get around until what they want shows up along with proof it's the real deal. No muss, no fuss, no risk. Why take a risk when you can just buy what you want? It's not like Russia or China are short of gold or whatever currency a seller prefers.
People running to the front window of the store to see the bloody wreck of the day don't notice the stuff going out the back door and if bloody wrecks fail, there's always someones booty to stare at. When I saw this story I started looking for the back page stories about what the Saudis and Iranians have stolen lately since this will without a doubt get more play.
JMHo
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