A former Kansas avionics executive has been sentenced to 32 months in prison for routing controlled U.S. aviation technology to Russian end users through false shipping records and misrepresented export details.
Douglas Edward Robertson, 58, the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company in Olathe, pleaded guilty to export-control and money-laundering offences after investigators said he smuggled avionics by disguising the true value, destination and end user. A Latvian broker, Oleg Chistyakov, received a 28-month term, while KanRus founder Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. The case landed after arrests in March 2023 and included FBI, Commerce and Customs investigators.
The prosecution underscores tighter enforcement on aviation hardware diversion to Russia.