A former salesman employed at a global supplier of laser welding equipment, was charged with conspiracy to evade US export control laws.
Reuters reported that Sam Bhambhani, a resident of North Attleboro, Massachusetts, and described in court papers as a salesman working for "a global supplier of laser sources for welding, marking, cutting, deep engraving and motion systems, with facilities located in Rhode Island and Florida", faces charges from the US District Court of Massachusetts that he falsified documents in order to sell his company’s laser-based products to a subsidiary of the Russian nuclear energy company, Rosatom.
After pleading not guilty to the charges, including conspiracy to evade export controls, smuggling and falsifying export documents, at a court hearing in Boston, Bhambhani was released on his own recognizance.
US export sanctions to Russia
The US has been restricting exports to Russia since 2014 in response to "aggressive actions towards Ukraine", says the US Department of State. This has led to many international companies, including those in the photonics sector, reducing their operations or cutting ties with the Russian market entirely in order to comply. In response, Russia has decided on a new national strategy for the technical sovereignty of its own photonics market.
Court documents allege that Bhambhani caused his employer to export parts of laser welding machines at various points between 2015 and 2021, through Maxim Teslenko, a Russian citizen who is also being charged, and who operated as a reseller to the Ural Electromechanical Plant (UEMZ) – a subsidiary of Rosatom, producing non-nuclear components for nuclear munitions.
US export law states that "A licence may be required to export an item depending on the technical characteristics of the item, the destination country, the end user, and the end use of the item", and "any person who knowingly submits false or misleading export information through the AES [Automated Export System] is subject to criminal penalties".
Court documents allege that Bhambhani falsified export documents, stating that various laser welding machines and equipment were intended for locations in Latvia, the British Virgin Islands and Estonia, where in reality the export destination was UEMZ.
The indictment includes conspiracy to defraud by falsifying documents. Court documents quote communication between Bhambhani and Teslenko, with the US salesman saying: “We will have to figure out the shipment and invoicing as now there are too many controls put on export to Russia. Politics!” in 2020.
