PORTLAND, Ore. —A man from Delhi, India, has received a federal prison sentence for conspiring to unlawfully export sensitive U.S. aviation components from Oregon to Russia, thereby breaching federal export control regulations, as announced by prosecutors.
Sanjay Kaushik, aged 58, was sentenced in federal court in Portland to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in a scheme to transport controlled aerospace technology, which included a navigation and flight control system, to end users in Russia.
Court documents reveal that Kaushik and his accomplices initiated their operation in September 2023, aiming to acquire U.S.-manufactured aviation parts under false pretenses and transport them through India to clients in Russia, a location that is restricted under U.S. export laws.
A significant item in this case was an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), a device that supplies navigation and flight control information for aircraft and serves both civilian and military purposes. Due to its sensitive nature, this system necessitates a U.S. Department of Commerce export license for shipment to specific countries, including Russia.
Prosecutors indicated that Kaushik misrepresented the equipment as being purchased for his Indian company and claimed it would be utilized in a civilian helicopter. However, investigators later established that the actual destination was Russia. The AHRS was ultimately seized before it could be exported from the United States.
“This was no lapse in judgment. It was a calculated, profit-driven scheme involving repeated transactions, substantial gains, and coordination with foreign co-conspirators, including sanctioned Russian entities,” U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon said in a statement.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said export control violations involving military-capable technology pose serious risks. “Those who scheme to circumvent U.S. export control laws—especially when it involves technologies with military applications—will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Eisenberg said.
Kaushik was arrested in Miami on Oct. 17, 2024, and has remained in federal custody since then. A grand jury in Portland later returned a three-count indictment charging him with conspiracy and attempted export violations, as well as making false statements connected to an export transaction.
On Oct. 9, 2025, Kaushik pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell export-controlled aviation components with dual civilian and military uses to Russian end users.
