The president of a freight forwarding company based in Florida is facing serious charges for allegedly smuggling advanced scientific technology to Russia. Kiril Gordey, a 34-year-old Belarusian national residing in Hallandale, Florida, holds the position of president at Apelsin Logistics, a company specializing in air and rail cargo transportation.
Gordey has been indicted on charges of fraud and could potentially be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. The indictment accuses him of conspiring with others to unlawfully transport an Orbitrap Exploris GC 240 Mass Spectrometer - a sophisticated piece of equipment that offers high data quality to expedite scientific discoveries.
In response to escalating tensions and sanctions in 2022, export controls were put in place to restrict Russian access to advanced technology. The Spectrometer in question falls under these export restrictions, requiring a special license from the Bureau of Industry and Security, which Gordey failed to obtain. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen asserts that Gordey intentionally circumvented regulations and smuggled valuable scientific technology to Russian customers.
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