Indian man jailed for 30 months in US over ‘calculated’ scheme to illegally export aviation parts to Russia

An Indian national has been jailed for 30 months in the US for “calculated” conspiracy to export controlled aviation components and a navigation and flight control system to end users in Russia, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a press release on Friday, 16 January.

According to the DOJ, Sanjay Kaushik, 58, from Delhi, violated the Export Control Reform Act in Portland, Oregon, and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and 36 months of supervised release.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said, “Those who scheme to circumvent U.S. export control laws—especially when it involves technologies with military applications—will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” He added, “The security of the United States demands that perpetrators of deceitful schemes like this one are held accountable for their actions.”

“This was no lapse in judgment,” said US Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E Bradford. “It was a calculated, profit-driven scheme involving repeated transactions, substantial gains, and coordination with foreign co-conspirators, including sanctioned Russian entities.”

Bradford said that Kaushik sought, on multiple occasions, to undermine safeguards critical to US national security and foreign policy for his own personal gain.

Here's what happened:

According to the press note, which cites the court documents, Kaushik conspired with others in early September 2023 to unlawfully obtain aerospace goods and technology from the United States for entities in Russia.

“The goods were purchased under the false pretence that they would be supplied to Kaushik and his Indian company, when in fact they were destined for Russian end users,” it said.

In one such instance, the DoJ said, Kaushik and his co-conspirators purchased an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), which is a device that provides navigation and flight control data for aircraft, from an Oregon-based supplier.

Components such as the AHRS require a license from the Department of Commerce for export to certain countries, including Russia.

To obtain an export license for the AHRS, as per the court documents, Kaushik and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that Kaushik’s Indian company was the end purchaser and that the component would be used in a civilian helicopter.

They reportedly obtained the AHRS, which the DoJ said it ultimately detained before it was exported from the United States, on behalf of and with the intention of shipping it, through India, to a customer in Russia.

Kaushik was arrested in Miami, Florida, on 17 October 2024 pursuant to a criminal complaint and arrest warrant and has remained in custody since then.

On 20 November 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Kaushik with conspiring and attempting to export products in violation of the Export Control Reform Act and the Export Administration Regulations, specifically attempting to illegally export a navigation and flight control system from Oregon to Russia through India, and false statements in connection with an export.

On 9 October 2025, Kaushik pleaded guilty to count one of the indictment, conspiring to sell export-controlled aviation components with dual civilian and military applications to end users in Russia.