National Security Division’s Post

Hungarian National Arrested on Charges of Conspiring to Export U.S. Military-Grade Radios to Russian Government End Users The Justice Department unsealed a criminal complaint charging Hungarian national Bence Horvath with violations of U.S. export controls targeting Russia, including by conspiring with others to illegally export U.S.-origin radio communications technology to Russian government end users without a license. Horvath is charged by complaint with one count of conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA). He was arrested on arrival at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, on Aug. 23. “As alleged, the defendant attempted to purchase military-grade radios for Russian entities using a multinational procurement chain to evade law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department remains committed to disrupting and holding accountable criminal networks that continue to fuel Russian aggression abroad and threaten our collective security.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gxbVwgUw

Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to the malicious use of an explosive device. “This defendant built a bomb using nails and screws as shrapnel and detonated it outside the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, endangering a public institution and members of the community,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Public servants should never be targeted for doing their jobs. The Justice Department will not tolerate such conduct, and we will use every resource at our disposal to prevent these attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/geithKS2

Florida Telecommunications and Information Technology Worker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Act as Agent of PRC Government Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General. According to the plea agreement and other court filings, the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is in charge of civilian intelligence collection for the PRC. The MSS often uses “cooperative contacts” located in countries outside of the PRC in furtherance of their intelligence goals, which include obtaining information concerning foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officers and information concerning PRC political dissidents residing in those countries. These cooperative contacts assist the MSS in a variety of ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC that can be used to further the MSS’s mission. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gzrF3RWR

New York Man Arrested for Operating as an Illegal Agent of the Chinese Government in the United States Yuanjun Tang, 67, a naturalized citizen of the United States and resident of Queens, New York, was charged by criminal complaint with acting and conspiring to act in the United States as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and making materially false statements to the FBI. Tang was arrested today in Flushing, Queens, and will be presented this afternoon. According to court documents, Tang is a former PRC citizen who was imprisoned in the PRC for his activities as a dissident opposing the one-party authoritarian political system controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the PRC’s sole ruling party. In or about 2002, Tang defected to Taiwan; he was subsequently granted political asylum in the United States and has since resided in New York City, where he has regularly participated in events with fellow PRC dissidents and leads a nonprofit dedicated to promoting democracy in China. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gtpujdks

Latvian National Extradited for Scheme to Illegally Export Advanced U.S.-Origin Aircraft Technology to Russia Oleg Chistyakov, also known as Olegs Čitsjakovs, 55, of Latvia, made his initial appearance in a federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, today after being extradited from Latvia. Chistyakov is the third defendant in this case to face charges in connection with a years-long conspiracy to sell sophisticated avionics equipment to Russian companies, after Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine and despite heightened additional U.S. economic countermeasures levied against Russia. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gtSztNGz

Venezuelan National Pleads Guilty to Sanctions Evasion Scheme Defendant Conspired to Unlawfully Export Millions of Dollars’ Worth of Aircraft Parts from the United States to Venezuela’s State-Owned Oil Company Through Costa Rica and Spain George Semerene Quintero (Semerene), 60, of Venezuela, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for his role in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), a Venezuelan state-owned oil company. “This defendant admitted to participating in an illicit scheme to procure millions in aviation equipment for the Maduro regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s conviction demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to hold accountable those who seek to evade export controls and sanctions to prop up rogue authoritarians.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gry-SUKg

National Constitutional Militia Member Sentenced for Illegal Gun Possession Defendant Participated in Aborted Plans to Kidnap, Attack Federal Officials A convicted felon and member of an anti-government extremist group who took part in online discussions to kidnap and attack federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022 was sentenced to prison for illegally possessing firearms during a trip to Georgia. Joshua Colston, 50, of Corinth, Mississippi, was sentenced today to serve 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Colston previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Oct. 18, 2023. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g4vBwbRa

Man Arrested for Explosives Threats and Attack on Energy Facility Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, 43, a Jordanian citizen residing in Orlando, Florida, is charged with four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility. At his detention hearing yesterday, Hnaihen was ordered detained pending trial. “We allege that the defendant threatened to carry out hate-fueled mass violence in our country, motivated in part by a desire to target businesses for their perceived support of Israel,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Such acts and threats of violence, whether they are targeting the places that Americans frequent every day or our country’s critical infrastructure, are extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated by the Justice Department.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/g6PbgkCR