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Illegal export to Russia, conspiracy: Why was Delhi man Sanjay Kaushik jailed for 30 months in US?
The court documents stated that the goods were purchased under a false pretense that parts will be sent to Indian companies, but were sent to Russian users.
An Indian businessman has been arrested in the United States for alleged illegal export of restricted aviation components to Russia. As per the official statement issued by the Department of Justice, the New Delhi-based executive has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
The statement from DOJ identifies the man as 58-year-old Sanjay Kaushik from New Delhi.
"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. The security of the United States demands that perpetrators of deceitful schemes like this one are held accountable for their actions," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg in the official statement.
Kaushik accused of illegal export to Russia
As per the DOJ, court documents state that Kaushik conspired with others to " unlawfully obtain aerospace goods and technology from the United States for entities in Russia". The court documents further stated that the goods were purchased under a false pretense that the parts will be sent to Indian companies, but were instead, sent to Russian users.
Citing one such incident, the Justice Department shared the details of an Oregon purchase.
"Kaushik and his co-conspirators purchased an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), which is a device that provides navigation and flight control data for aircraft, from an Oregon-based supplier. Components such as the AHRS require a license from the Department of Commerce to be exported to certain countries, including Russia. To obtain an export license for the AHRS, Kaushik and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that Kaushik’s Indian company was the end purchaser and that the component would be used in a civilian helicopter," reads the official statement issued by the DOJ.
The Delhi man was arrested in 2024 and has been in custody since. In October 2025, Kaushik pleaded guilty to the court of exporting aviation components illegal to Russian users. He was sentenced on January 15, 2026, to 30 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release.
