NH firm sentenced to pay $140,000 over export violations in shipments to Russia, Ukraine
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Oct. 17—Intertech Trading Corp., a laboratory equipment distribution firm in Atkinson, has been sentenced to pay $140,000 after the company pleaded guilty to 14 felony charges of failure to file export information in regards to equipment it shipped to Russia and Ukraine, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Judge Paul Barbadoro ordered Intertech to pay the maximum allowable fine of $10,000 per count, and be subject to a two-year term of corporate probation and monitoring, U.S. Attorney Jane Young said in a news release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2015 and 2019, Intertech exported laboratory equipment to Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere, falsely describing the nature and value of the exported items on commercial invoices and shipping forms.
The parts, which included laser assemblies, were falsely identified as being for use in products including an aquarium and a welding system, at much lower values than they actually were.
In a plea agreement, Intertech admitted that it used false, innocuous descriptions such as "lamp for aquarium" or "spares for welding system," rather than accurately identifying the sophisticated scientific equipment actually contained in the shipments.
Intertech admitted it undervalued the shipments, evading the requirement to file Electronic Export Information, which would have been reported to the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security.
The charges against Intertech were filed June 6 by the U.S. Attorney's Office in federal district court in Concord, involving exports between 2016 and 2019, prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.
"Evasion of export control requirements is a serious felony and undermines the government's ability to ensure that sensitive equipment does not end up in the wrong hands," said Young in a statement. "Our office works closely with our law enforcement partners to detect, deter, and punish companies and individuals that violate export control laws."
"Through lies and deceit, Intertech Trading Corporation evaded U.S. export laws to illegally send sophisticated scientific equipment to Russia and Ukraine, jeopardizing our national security," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, in a statement.
