Italian National Sentenced to Prison After Trying to Procure US Turbine for Russian Companies
An Italian national was sentenced to prison after trying to procure a U.S. power turbine without an export license, the Justice Department said June 18. Gabriele Villone, who was sentenced to 28 months in prison for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Control Reform Act, tried to procure the $17.3 million turbine for Russian companies, the agency said.
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Villone worked with two Russian companies, including the Russia-based energy company KS Engineering, to buy the turbine from a U.S. manufacturer. The Justice Department said the Russian companies intended to use the turbine on a Russian Arctic deepwater drilling platform, which would have violated U.S. export controls. Villone was hired by KSE and other Russian nationals to buy the turbine and hide the true end-user through “false documentation.”