Russian Nationals $900K Aeroflot Parts Scheme

Alexander Mamonov, a Russian national dwelling in South Florida, was convicted on all 12 counts Thursday after secretly funneling almost $1 million in American plane elements to Russia and state-owned airline Aeroflot,  mendacity to U.S. suppliers at every step to make it occur. A federal jury did not buy it.

Mamonov, 62, a former Aeroflot worker, was discovered guilty of conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, unlawful exports, smuggling, submitting false export info, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The Commerce Department tightened export controls on Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It also issued a short-term denial order barring Aeroflot from receiving U.S.-origin items. The restrictions had been designed to cut off Russia’s access to American technology that may keep its navy and civilian plane flying. Aeroflot, which is majority-owned by the Russian authorities, was a particular goal; U.S. officers decided it was successfully an extension of the Kremlin’s pursuits. That made any American who helped route elements to the airline not just a smuggler but somebody actively working to undermine U.S. sanctions coverage.

Prosecutors said Mamonov and Russian national Ignat Vakorin lied about where the plane elements had been going. U.S. suppliers had been told the shipments had been headed to locations including the United Arab Emirates and China. They really went to Russia and Aeroflot.

Vakorin, indicted alongside Mamonov in April 2025, stays a fugitive. He is believed to be in Russia, past the quick attain of U.S. authorities. Prosecutors say they don’t seem to be performed wanting for Vakorin either.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida summed it up after the verdict:

“Russia cannot evade American sanctions and export controls by routing its purchases through South Florida. You cannot put a fake destination on a shipping label and make American export laws disappear.” 

Prosecutors said Mamonov and Vakorin also used financial transactions to disguise the shipments while buying and sending more than $900,000 in plane elements. Mamonov’s case is not distinctive; however, two other Russian nationals in Florida ran the same basic rip-off in 2024 and pleaded guilty. Lie about the vacation spot, ship to Russia anyway, get caught.

The FBI’s Miami Field Office investigated the Mamonov case with help from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Paul Cronin and Trial Attorney Brett Ruff are prosecuting Mamonov’s case.

Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said the verdict ought to serve as a warning.

“The FBI and its partners will continue to prioritize the enforcement of export laws and sanctions to defend the homeland. Let this verdict serve as a warning to anyone considering smuggling U.S. technology to our adversaries.”

Mamonov is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 20 by U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams. Violations of the Export Control Reform Act can carry up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million per rely.

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