Belorussian Woman Extradited to U.S. in Alleged Aircraft Equipment Smuggling Scheme (Washington, D.C.) – A Belorussian woman accused of helping funnel U.S. aircraft technology to Russia in violation of export control laws was extradited from France to the United States and made her first court appearance in Washington, D.C., federal officials announced.
Yana Leonova, 33, also known as “Yana Liavonava,” is charged with conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act, commit smuggling, commit money laundering, and defraud the United States. Prosecutors allege that after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Leonova worked with co-conspirators in the United States to obtain aircraft avionics and other equipment and secretly ship them to Russia.
According to an indictment, the parts were destined for a Russian private aviation company that appears on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List, which restricts access to U.S. technology. Authorities say Leonova and others purchased the equipment through U.S. distributors and then routed shipments through companies in Armenia, the Maldives, and other countries to disguise the final destination.
“She used intermediary countries in an effort to block the identity of the final recipient in Russia, where licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce were needed,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro in announcing the extradition.
The FBI said investigators uncovered efforts to falsify shipping documents and conceal the true end users of the equipment. Payments for the components allegedly traveled through foreign bank accounts before reaching the United States.
“The FBI has made it a top priority to keep U.S. technology from making its way into our adversaries’ hands,” said FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky. “To anyone considering helping a hostile nation-state obtain export-controlled technology, let today’s charges serve as a warning.”
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office and the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, with assistance from French authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
Leonova is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Belorussian Woman Extradited to U.S. in Alleged Aircraft Equipment Smuggling Scheme
