<p>US federal prosecutors have charged Russian, Italian and US companies and several employees for allegedly trying to evade US sanctions by providing a US-manufactured power turbine to a Russian state-controlled business, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>The unidentified Russian company was barred from acquiring the turbine under US sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. But it contracted Oleg Vladislavovich Nikitin and his Russian-based company KS Engineering (KSE) to buy it for $17.3 million, according to a Justice Department statement.</p>.<p>Nikitin, KSE and KSE employee Anton Cheremukhin were charged with violating and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Export Control Reform Act (IEEPA/ECRA) and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.</p>.<p>According to the statement, Nikitin, Cheremukhin and KSE sought to evade US sanctions by hiring Gabriele Villone, his Italian-based company GVA International Oil and Gas Services and employee Bruno Caparini to acquire the turbine on their behalf.</p>.<p>Villone, Caparini and GVA, in turn, then hired Dali Bagrou and his US-based company World Mining and Oil Supply to obtain the Vectra 40G power turbine from an unidentified U.S.-based manufacturer and ship it overseas.</p>.<p>Villone, Caparini and GVA were also charged with violating and conspiring to violate IEEPA/ECRA, as well as with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.</p>.<p>Bagrou and his company were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.</p>.<p>A telephone number listed on WMO's website was disconnected. GVA and KSE could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>.<p>According to the Justice Department, evidence in the case established that the Russian company planned to use the turbine on a Russian arctic deepwater drilling platform.</p>.<p>US sanctions bar providing goods to support exploration or production for Russian deep-water, Arctic offshore oil projects.</p>.<p>Nikitin, Villone, and Bagrou were arrested in Savannah, Georgia, and are awaiting trial, the department said.</p>.<p>Nikitin, Cheremukhin, Villone and Caparini face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine on the charge of violating IEEPA/ECRA and a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to violate IEEPA/ECRA and to defraud the United States.</p>.<p>They and Bagrou also face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on the charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. </p>
<p>US federal prosecutors have charged Russian, Italian and US companies and several employees for allegedly trying to evade US sanctions by providing a US-manufactured power turbine to a Russian state-controlled business, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>The unidentified Russian company was barred from acquiring the turbine under US sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. But it contracted Oleg Vladislavovich Nikitin and his Russian-based company KS Engineering (KSE) to buy it for $17.3 million, according to a Justice Department statement.</p>.<p>Nikitin, KSE and KSE employee Anton Cheremukhin were charged with violating and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Export Control Reform Act (IEEPA/ECRA) and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.</p>.<p>According to the statement, Nikitin, Cheremukhin and KSE sought to evade US sanctions by hiring Gabriele Villone, his Italian-based company GVA International Oil and Gas Services and employee Bruno Caparini to acquire the turbine on their behalf.</p>.<p>Villone, Caparini and GVA, in turn, then hired Dali Bagrou and his US-based company World Mining and Oil Supply to obtain the Vectra 40G power turbine from an unidentified U.S.-based manufacturer and ship it overseas.</p>.<p>Villone, Caparini and GVA were also charged with violating and conspiring to violate IEEPA/ECRA, as well as with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.</p>.<p>Bagrou and his company were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.</p>.<p>A telephone number listed on WMO's website was disconnected. GVA and KSE could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>.<p>According to the Justice Department, evidence in the case established that the Russian company planned to use the turbine on a Russian arctic deepwater drilling platform.</p>.<p>US sanctions bar providing goods to support exploration or production for Russian deep-water, Arctic offshore oil projects.</p>.<p>Nikitin, Villone, and Bagrou were arrested in Savannah, Georgia, and are awaiting trial, the department said.</p>.<p>Nikitin, Cheremukhin, Villone and Caparini face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine on the charge of violating IEEPA/ECRA and a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to violate IEEPA/ECRA and to defraud the United States.</p>.<p>They and Bagrou also face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on the charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. </p>