Five Russian nationals and two United States nationals were the subjects of a 16-count indictment that was unsealed in a Brooklyn federal court on Dec. 14.
The defendants, which included a suspected Federal Security Service (FSB) officer, were charged with conspiracy and other crimes after the Department of Justice alleged they were part of a global network to launder money and obtain weapons on behalf of the Russian government.
According to the Department of Justice press release, the accused worked to gather military-grade and dual-use technologies from American companies that could be used to defend Russia.
The group is also accused of coordinating the smuggling of sniper rifle ammunition out of the country, which violates U.S. sanctions put in place earlier this year….