Gal Haimovich, 49, an Israeli national, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to export control and smuggling violations. His guilty plea, revealed in a recent court proceeding, involves his participation in a scheme to illegally transport aircraft parts and avionics from U.S. manufacturers to Russia, including shipments for sanctioned Russian airlines.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Haimovich admitted to deceiving U.S. companies regarding the true destinations of the goods and to submitting false information on export documentation to the U.S. government.
Haimovich’s sentencing is scheduled for November 22.
Court documents indicate that Haimovich, who operated an international freight forwarding company affiliated with a network of firms in several countries, including the U.S. and Israel, played a key role in facilitating the illegal export of goods. His company served as a freight forwarder for clients seeking to bypass U.S. export control laws to deliver goods to Russia.
Between March 2022 and May 2023, Haimovich managed the export of aircraft parts and avionics, some with missile technology applications, from the U.S. through the Southern District of Florida to various third-party transshippers, ultimately destined for Russia. Russian clients frequently instructed Haimovich to mislead U.S. suppliers about the final destination of these goods.
For instance, after the U.S. imposed stricter export restrictions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Haimovich organized over 160 shipments to companies in the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates, which were used to illegally reroute the goods to Russia.
In one case from August 2022, Haimovich orchestrated the shipment of an air data module intended for Siberia Airlines (operating as S7 Airlines). He directed a co-conspirator to falsely declare the module’s destination as the Maldives, while knowing it was intended for Russia.
Haimovich also admitted to invoicing Russian clients, including S7 Airlines, more than $2 million for the illegal export of aircraft parts and avionics. As part of his plea deal, Haimovich agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $2,024,435 and to surrender various aircraft parts and components.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI.