The United States filed charges against a Bosnian man for allegedly helping a wanted Russian individual flee Italy last year in a scheme to smuggle American semiconductors to Russia and Ukraine.
The suspect, identified as Vladimir Jovancic, was taken into custody in Croatia and is being accused by American prosecutors of helping Artem Uss flee Italy last year. It was after the latter's arrest and ahead of his extradition to the US.
US Charges Bosnian Man
On the other hand, the United States government charged Uss with violating sanctions and selling sensitive technologies to Russia through intermediaries in non-sanctioned countries. On Monday, an unsealed indictment showed how prosecutors described the scheme to spring Uss from home detention in Milan.
This was after an Italian court approved his extradition and the document notes that Jovancic used bolt cutters to help the Russian individual remove an electronic ankle bracelet. As per Bloomberg, it was used to track him and he was then smuggled out of the country.
Prosecutors also said that the Bosnian man helped Uss, whom the US called a "Kremlin crony," flee through various countries, including Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia. They then reached Serbia, where he boarded a plane en route to Russia.
Uss' wife allegedly paid Jovancic roughly $10,800 for his services in bringing her husband back to Russia. She also gave Jovancic a key card to the wanted man's Italian residence to help him escape law enforcement authorities.
The arrest of Jovancic comes as the United States government is seeking to thwart Russia's efforts to evade sanctions amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Before the conflict, Moscow built a secret pipeline to ensure the supply of semiconductors to the region.
These strategies are now assisting Russian operators in rebuilding dismantled networks and deceiving publicly-listed US tech companies. According to Yahoo News, American prosecutors added that Uss is the son of Alexander Uss, the governor of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Krai region and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Artem Uss' Escape From Italy
Danielle Hass, a spokeswoman for Breon Peace, the US Attorney in Brooklyn, said that 52-year-old Jovancic is expected to be arraigned in federal court in the county at a later date. The case is known as US v. Jovancic, 23-cr-430.
Jovancic is believed to be one of six men who are affiliated with a Serbian organized crime group that Uss recruited. In a letter where US officials sought the suspect's detention, they included a single surveillance still.
The recording showed Jovancic and Uss strolling out of the latter's Milan home and the document described how the pair spent $54,000 to make their getaway. The letter was addressed to US District Judge Rachel P. Kovner.
It added that Jovancic is considered an irreparable flight risk and has significant ties to foreign institutions. Prosecutors said that the government must, therefore, move for a permanent order of detention pending trial.
The letter offered some background on Uss and the underlying criminal indictment surrounding his case. It claims that he knowingly tried to "obstruct and impede an official court proceeding" by hiring Jovancic and five others, said the Daily Mail.
