A 66-year-old man was arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday in reference to an alleged years-long scheme to export delicate expertise illegally from america to a enterprise tied to the Russian army, in response to federal prosecutors.
The person, Ilya Kahn, is a citizen of america, Israel and Russia and has residences in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Los Angeles, federal prosecutors mentioned Thursday in charging paperwork filed in New York.
Kahn is the proprietor of Senesys Inc., a California-based firm, and Sensor Design Assn., a New York-based firm. The ventures are concerned in creating safety software program and testing silicon wafers for army aviation electronics and area tools, court docket paperwork say.
Federal prosecutors allege that the 2 corporations are literally the identical entity, and that from 2017 by way of 2023 they shipped greater than 290,000 microelectronics and different gadgets out of the U.S.
Kahn labored with a Russian semiconductor firm referred to as Joint Inventory Firm Analysis and Growth Heart Elvees, which was sanctioned by the U.S. authorities in February 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Elvees performed a important position in aiding the Russian army, court docket paperwork say.
Between 2012 and 2022, monetary data present, Kahn’s enterprise acquired greater than $37 million from Elvees and associated entities, together with greater than $2.1 million in 2021 and 2022, prosecutors allege.
Kahn is charged with conspiracy to violate the Export Management Reform Act, which regulates the export of products, expertise and software program which have potential army use.
Prosecutors allege that in 2019, Kahn exported U.S.-made microcontrollers to Elvees in Russia, and in 2022 he exported different tools by way of a Hong Kong-based delivery firm with out the mandatory licenses from the U.S. authorities. In response to prosecutors, that tools included community interface controllers and a radio frequency transmitter, whose exports are restricted for nationwide safety and anti-terrorism causes.
Prosecutors accused Kahn in court docket papers of plenty of different acts to assist Elvees, together with:
- Arranging for Elvees to proceed receiving semiconductors manufactured in Taiwan after Russia’s invasion.
- Illegally delivery the gadgets from Taiwan to the U.S. after which to Russian after the Taiwanese firm refused to ship the Elvees-designed semiconductors on to Russia.
- Transport hundreds of microchips primarily based on an Elvees design from a producer in Taiwan by way of a New York-based shipper to a Hong Kong-based delivery firm, after which to mainland China.
“Mr. Kahn stands accused of repeatedly exporting delicate expertise to Russia earlier than, throughout, and after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” Assistant Atty. Gen. Matthew Olsen of the Justice Division’s Nationwide Safety Division mentioned in a press release. “Violations of U.S. sanctions and export management legal guidelines that support Russia and different hostile powers endanger our nation’s safety and can be met with the complete drive of the Justice Division.”
Kahn might face a most of 20 years in jail if discovered responsible, in response to prosecutors. He was scheduled to seem in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Thursday.
It was not instantly clear if Kahn had any authorized illustration.
