Hungarian national arrested on export control charges on arrival in United States
The United States Department of Justice (‘US DoJ’) has announced charges against a Hungarian national, Bence Horvath, of ‘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.’
It said that Horvath, who is ‘charged by complaint with one count of conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA)’ was arrested on arrival at San Francisco International Airport on Aug. 23.
It said that, according to the court documents, ‘Horvath and others managed a multinational procurement network that contracted directly with various entities in the Russian government and worked on large scale projects such as the construction of operational radio communications systems in Russia’s Kursk region along the Russian/Ukrainian border. The complaint alleges that Horvath himself arranged to purchase U.S.-origin radio communications technology and smuggle such technology to Russian government end-users through a network of affiliates located in Spain, Serbia, Hungary, Latvia, and elsewhere.’
‘As alleged, the defendant attempted to purchase military-grade radios for Russian entities using a multinational procurement chain to evade law enforcement.
‘The Justice Department remains committed to disrupting and holding accountable criminal networks that continue to fuel Russian aggression abroad and threaten our collective security,’ said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
