Get you up to speed: Florida man smuggled nearly $1,000,000 worth of US aircraft parts to Russia | News World
Alexander Mamonov, a Russian expat residing in Florida, was convicted for illegally exporting nearly $1 million worth of aircraft components to Aeroflot, Russia’s flag carrier. He conspired with Ignat Vakorin, who remains at large, and was found guilty on 12 counts, including conspiracy to commit smuggling and submitting false export information.
Alexander Mamonov and his co-conspirator, Ignat Vakorin, were charged by indictment in April 2025, with Mamonov being convicted on multiple counts this week. The operation was illegal due to sanctions imposed on Aeroflot following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which prohibited the receipt of American-origin goods, including aircraft parts.
The U.S. Department of Justice has reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing export-control laws in response to Alexander Mamonov’s conviction for illegally exporting aircraft components to Aeroflot. Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg stated, “This guilty verdict…shows the United States government’s resolute commitment to upholding our export-control laws,” indicating continued vigilance against similar violations.
What remains unclear — The current whereabouts of co-conspirator Ignat Vakorin are unknown.
Florida man convicted for smuggling nearly $1 million in aircraft parts to Russia
Alexander Mamonov illegally shipped nearly $1million worth of aircraft components to his former employer, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A Russian expat living in Florida has been convicted for illegally exporting nearly $1million in aircraft parts to his home country.
Alexander Mamonov, a former employee of Russian flag carrier Aeroflot, was found to have masterminded a scheme to secretly ship hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of components to the sanctioned airline.
Mamonov, 62, lied to suppliers about the parts’ destination, claiming they were intended for other countries including China and the UAE.
The resident of south Florida co-conspired with Ignat Vakorin, who remains on the run, to ship the more than $900,000 worth of equipment.
The pair were charged by indictment in April 2025.
Mamonov was convicted this week on 12 counts, including illegal export of items subject to ECRA, conspiracy to commit smuggling, smuggling of goods, submitting false or misleading export information, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
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He was found by a jury to have used fake labels and financial transactions to conceal the destination of his exports.
Aeroflot was banned from receiving goods of American origin, including Boeing aircraft and parts, as part of sanctions imposed on Russia following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said: ‘This guilty verdict – on all counts – shows the United States government’s resolute commitment to upholding our export-control laws and to prosecuting those who violate them.
‘The National Security Division and our U.S. Attorney’s Offices and law enforcement partners will continue to safeguard U.S.-controlled items from being exported unlawfully.’
Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said: ‘You cannot put a fake destination on a shipping label and make American export laws disappear.
‘This defendant conspired to secretly funnel nearly $1 million in American aircraft parts to Russia and Aeroflot, then used false destinations and financial transactions to conceal what he was doing.
He added: ‘We will continue to aggressively pursue those who use our district, our financial system, or American businesses to undermine U.S. national security.’
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