The U.S. Attorney's Office said Estonian citizen Andrey Shevlyakov's scheme to evade export rules caused the illegal export of over $1 million worth of sensitive electronics from the United States. 

Court documents show Shevlyakov was banned from acquiring any items from the United States without the Department of Commerce's permission, and he spent years evading U.S. export controls. 

He was arrested by the Estonian authorities in 2023 and extradited to the U.S. in August 2025.

Guilty plea

On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export violations for his role in a procurement network that obtained sensitive electronics for the benefit of Russian military and government contractors, a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Shevlyakov faces a maximum sentence of 40 years' imprisonment and has already agreed to forfeit approximately $1.5 million to the government. 

"For nearly a decade, the defendant operated a foreign procurement network and supplied sophisticated U.S. technology to hostile Russian military actors, undermining U.S. national security and the security of our allies," stated United States Attorney Nocella.  

"Today's guilty plea demonstrates that our Office will vigorously prosecute and hold to account those who aid Russian attempts to illegally procure U.S. technology, no matter who they are or where they reside."

FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Hudson said Shevlyakov's arrest was the result of a spinoff case from a much larger FBI investigation that goes back some 14 years.

Shell companies and Russian customers 

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Shevlyakov deceived U.S. manufacturers and suppliers and acquired sensitive technology and electronics by using multiple shell companies. 

He then shipped the items to end-users in Russia, including defense contractors and Russian government agencies.   

Shevlyakov was aware of his prohibited status but flouted U.S. export controls. 

In one case, Shevlyakov placed an order with a U.S. company for sensitive electronic components, but the company refused to sell to the defendant and informed him he was on the Entity List. Shevlyakov then canceled his order, only to place it again days later using a different email address and under a false name. 

The items he obtained for his Russian customers included low-noise pre-scalers and synthesizers used to conduct high-frequency communications. 

He also obtained analog-to-digital converters, which are used in defense systems, including avionics, missiles, and electronic warfare systems. 

He communicated extensively with Russian defense contractors and telecommunications companies about the sensitive items he procured. 

Crossed the border over 100 times

Shevlyakov traveled extensively between Estonia and Russia to deliver the items he obtained. 

International border crossing records for the period 2010-2016 show that during that period, Shevlyakov crossed the Estonian border and into Russia over 100 times, many times on same-day trips. 

Records provided by the Finnish government show that the defendant was stopped by Finnish authorities while trying to smuggle electronics into Russia. 

Shevlyakov failed to provide a customs declaration, and Finnish border guards searched the defendant's car and discovered approximately €70,000 worth of electronics hidden throughout the vehicle.

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