An Israeli individual was detained in the United States under suspicion of illegally exporting spare parts for aircraft to Russia. This alleged action is seen as a breach of the sanctions levied against Moscow, as stated in a court document submitted in the US. Furthermore, he is thought to have contravened US export regulations. His defense lawyer, Mordechai Tzivin, insists that these allegations are without basis and that no verification or denial has taken place yet.
The arrest occurred in Florida and involved an Israeli accused of supplying US-made spare parts for commercial aircraft to Russia, violating international sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Although the suspect is not a US citizen, the law states that dealings with American goods fall under US jurisdiction.
Another Israeli was initially detained with the primary suspect but was later released after investigations determined his non-involvement. The principal suspect remains in custody and is under investigation by the US Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, which is responsible for sanctions enforcement. This body presented a detailed affidavit to a US court outlining the accusations.
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Per the affidavit, the Israeli suspect is accused of giving false or misleading export information, breaching US sanctions, and collaborating to export goods from the US illegally. The company he owns allegedly shipped spare parts for civilian planes to Russia, contradicting US export laws and regulations. It is suspected that the Israeli colluded with a Russian airline to export these parts from the US unlawfully, and it is believed that he gave false information on the export documents to conceal this illicit activity.
The aircraft parts were reportedly shipped via companies in the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates, with Moscow being the final destination. The affidavit states that the suspect is not accused of trading spare parts but of facilitating their transport.
Mordechai Tzivin, the defense attorney representing the suspect, specializes in cases involving Israelis detained overseas, particularly in international and Interpol issues. He argues that the accusations against his client are baseless, stating, “My client is an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, who has never been found guilty of any crime. He was not cognizant of the activities he is suspected of.” He added, “The fact that he is implicated in several matters does not constitute evidence since there has yet to be any confirmation or rebuttal. We have complete faith in the US legal system, more so than any other system in the world. We are hopeful that, upon further investigation, the US will conclude that my client is not implicated in any way.”
