Greek accused of smuggling US tech to Russia

Criminal charges have been brought against 59-year-old Greek businessman Nikolaos Bogonikolos, whom the US authorities accuse of conspiracy/fraud and smuggling.

More specifically, the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York charged Bogonikolos with helping the Russian armed forces to avoid/evade sanctions imposed on them by the US due to the war in Ukraine.

Bogonikolos, who has Greek nationality, was arrested in Paris on May 9 and remains in custody pending extradition to the US, according to the official statement.

He is the owner of the Aratos Group, which is reported to have offices in Athens.

Prosecutors in New York said that while ostensibly acting as a defense contractor for NATO and allied countries, “the defendant and his Aratos Group were double dealing,” enhancing Russia’s war effort and the development of next-generation weapons.

Bogonikolos is accused of smuggling US-sourced military and dual-use technologies to Russia starting in 2017, in violation of US law.

As stated in the official statement, these were components and sensitive, advanced cutting-edge technologies used in tactical battlefields, quantum computing applications and nuclear weapons testing.

The defendant claimed that these items were to be used by his company, Aratos, when in fact they were illegally destined for Russia.

Russian companies such as Serniya and Sertal are presented as the final recipients of the US-origin components and technologies that the 59-year-old Greek businessman was trafficking, while the Russian intelligence services (SVR) are said to have benefited from this smuggling.