Madison man pleads guilty to federal court after illegally shipping scientific equipment to Russia

MADISON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – A Madison man pleaded guilty in a federal court Tuesday to charges of smuggling goods from the country and conspiracy to defraud the United States after it was discovered he had illegally exported scientific equipment to Russia.

The man, 68-year-old Andrew Pogosyan, is a U.S. citizen who was born in Russia. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the smuggling operation began around September of 2022 and continued until October of 2023. Pogosyan’s company, Omega Diagnostics, LLC, evaded export restrictions by exporting scientific and diagnostic research equipment to third-party countries before they were shipped to Russia. Pogosyan shipped the equipment to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Latvia, and Lithuania as part of his scheme.

Pogosyan faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for the crimes he committed.

“Mr. Pogosyan threatened the national security of the United States by violating sanctions and illegally exporting scientific laboratory equipment to companies in Russia,” said FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “The FBI continues to tirelessly work with our law enforcement partners to investigate anyone who helps foreign adversaries evade sanctions. Pogosyan’s actions undermined the
protections put in place to ensure U.S. national security.”

“Today’s plea is the culmination of the outstanding work by our law
enforcement partners,” added Acting U.S. Attorney Elgersma. “As part of our on-going commitment to protecting national security, this office will hold accountable those who violate export control laws.”

On February 24, 2022, the U.S. implemented strict regulations on goods, technology, and software being exported to Russia. The restrictions were put into place as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The regulations prohibit the export of certain items to Russia without a license from the Bureau of Industry and Security. It is a federal crime in the U.S. to violate any export control regulations willfully.