Attempt to Smuggle Cessnas From U.S. Into Russia Ends in Arrest

Russia-U.S. national faces up to 20 years in prison for attempting to export aircraft to a Russian flight school.

Caleb Revill

Tuesday, December 03, 2024 at 10:36 AM ET

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Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

1968 Cessna 172K [iStock]

Key Takeaways:

A Russian-American dual citizen, Sergey Nechaev, was arrested and charged with illegally attempting to export two small Cessna aircraft from the U.S. to Russia.
Nechaev tried to evade U.S. export control laws by attempting to transship the aircraft through Armenia and falsely claiming Armenia as the end destination and user, without obtaining the required Department of Commerce license.
He faces charges including exporting controlled goods without a license and smuggling, with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison and forfeiture of the aircraft.

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A Russian-American dual citizen was arrested Monday and charged with illegally attempting to export two small aircraft from the U.S. to Russia.

According to the Department of Justice, Sergey Nechaev was indicted for attempting to evade U.S. export control laws in March 2023 by trying to sneak two Cessna aircraft from the U.S. to Russia by transshipping them through Armenia. The U.S. government seized the aircraft in conjunction with his arrest in the Southern District of Georgia.