Key Points:
Delhi based businessman Sanjay Kaushik was sentenced to 30 months in US federal prison for violating US export control laws.
He conspired to illegally export sensitive aviation and flight control technology from Oregon to Russian customers.
US authorities stated that the case involved "deliberate evasion of export controls" on technologies with civilian and military application.
In a recent report, a Delhi-based businessman has been charged with violating the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 by conspiring to export aviation components from Oregon, United States, to Russia. According to a press release issued by the US Justice Department on January 15, 2026, Sanjay Kaushik, a 58-year-old man, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
Kaushik was apprehended for his involvement in a scheme to export sensitive aviation technology to Russian end users without the required US government approvals. The verdict was announced by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security.
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US Attorney Scott E. Bradford stated that there was no lapse in judgment. He further added, “It was a calculated, profit-driven scheme involving repeated transactions, substantial gains, and coordination with foreign co-conspirators, including sanctioned Russian entities.”
US officials stated that Kaushik played a vital role in evading export controls that protect the national security of the United States. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg remarked that those who attempt to circumvent US export laws “especially when it involves technologies with military applications will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to federal prosecutors, Kaushik was also involved in other illegal activities. In September 2023, he unlawfully obtained aerospace goods and technology for entities in Russia. He purchased the items under false claims that they were intended for his India-based company. It was later revealed that the purchased items were actually meant for Russian customers.
Authorities highlighted one instance in which Kaushik and his co-conspirators acquired an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS). The AHRS, purchased from an Oregon supplier, provides navigation and flight control data for aircraft and is subject to strict US export controls. Prosecutors stated that the suspects planned to route the component through India before sending it to customers in Russia.
He was arrested in Miami, Florida, on October 17, 2024, after a criminal complaint was filed against him and an arrest warrant was issued. Nearly a year later, on October 9, 2025, he pleaded guilty and admitted to conspiring to export aviation components with both civilian and military applications to Russian end users. Upon conviction, Kaushik faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million for each charge against him.
Inputs from IANS
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