Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya, a Russian national, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to export controlled aviation technology to Russia and engage in money laundering related to the illicit export scheme. This follows the December 2024 sentencing of his co-conspirator, Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin, who received a two-year prison term for his role.
Patsulya, 46, residing in Miami-Dade County, Florida, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to conspiracy charges related to exporting items without a license and laundering money internationally. Judge Dominic W. Lanza of the District of Arizona presided over the sentencing, highlighting Patsulya's significant role in organizing the conspiracy and the sophisticated nature of the money laundering activities. “It’s hard to imagine a bigger betrayal of the United States than what you did,” Judge Lanza remarked during the proceedings. The case clarified that Patsulya lacks the legal status to remain in the United States.
The conspiracy began around May 2022, involving Patsulya and Besedin working with others to purchase aircraft parts from U.S. suppliers for Russian clients, primarily commercial airlines. These parts were unlawfully exported to Russia without the necessary Department of Commerce license. As part of the scheme, they attempted to export carbon disc brake systems for Boeing 737 aircraft, falsely representing to U.S. suppliers that the parts were intended for countries other than Russia. Multiple shipments containing these brake assembly units were intercepted before export.
In their guilty pleas, both defendants acknowledged their efforts to conceal their illegal activities from law enforcement. This included making false claims about the final destination of the exports and using overseas straw buyer-companies to hide revenue origins. A notable instance of deceit occurred on September 8, 2022, when the defendants misled a U.S. company about the destination of aircraft parts during a transaction in Arizona, which was actually bound for Russia. The payment for this transaction was funneled through various accounts, originating from a Russian airline and passing through a Turkish bank account to Patsulya's American account.
Overall, accounts linked to Patsulya's company, MIC P&I LLC, received over $4.5 million from Russian airlines via Turkish bank accounts for aircraft parts meant for illegal export. As part of his plea agreement, Patsulya is required to forfeit assets, including a luxury car and a personal boat, totaling the amount of $4,582,288.51.
The sentencing announcement came from several officials, including Sue Bai of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona. The investigation was conducted by the BIS Phoenix Field Office and the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, with assistance from related federal offices in Boston, Miami, and Phoenix. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali from the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Voit for the District of Arizona.