An Israeli freight forwarder has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges for violating export restrictions imposed on Russia, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday. Gal Haimovich, 49, admitted to his role in a scheme to illegally ship aircraft parts and avionics from US manufacturers and suppliers to Russia, including for the benefit of sanctioned Russian airline companies.
According to court documents, Haimovich owned an international freight forwarding company that was part of a group of companies operating in various countries, including the United States and Israel. Between March 2022 and May 2023, Haimovich allegedly facilitated the export of aircraft parts and avionics, some with missile technology applications, from the US to Russian customers through third-party transshippers.
Israeli national Gal Haimovich pleaded guilty in a Florida court yesterday for his role in a scheme to illegally ship aircraft parts and avionics from U.S. manufacturers and suppliers to sanctioned Russian airline companies. https://t.co/XyHjnmimUZ
— Wisconsin Project (@WisconsinProj) September 11, 2024
The scheme involved deceiving US-based manufacturers and suppliers about the ultimate destination of the goods. In one instance, Haimovich arranged for the shipment of an air data module to Russia for Siberia Airlines (S7 Airlines) in August 2022, falsely informing the US supplier that the part was destined for the Maldives.
Haimovich's sentencing hearing has been set for November 22. Assistant US Attorney Christopher Browne for the Southern District of Florida, who is prosecuting the case, stated, "This case demonstrates our commitment to enforcing export control laws and preventing the illegal flow of sensitive technologies to Russia."
Haimovich agreed to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment of $2,024,435 and the forfeiture of various aircraft parts and components. The defendant billed Russian customers, including S7 Airlines, more than $2 million for the illegal export of aircraft parts and avionics from the US to Russia during the specified period.
The case was investigated by the Department of Commerce's Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI. It is being coordinated through the Justice Department's Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing sanctions and economic countermeasures imposed in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
