Sergey Nechaev, a dual citizen of the United States and Russia, was sentenced on January 15, 2026, to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to illegally export aircraft to Russia. Nechaev, aged 49, was arrested in December 2024 and pleaded guilty in September 2025 to several charges: attempting to export controlled goods without a license under the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), smuggling goods contrary to U.S. law, and submitting false information through the Automated Export System.
U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap for the Southern District of Georgia stated: “Export control laws exist to protect our national security and prevent sensitive items from falling into the wrong hands. When individuals evade these laws, they undermine the safety of our country and its allies. The Southern District of Georgia will continue to aggressively prosecute those who do so.”
Court documents show that between September 2022 and March 2023, Nechaev tried to bypass U.S. export control regulations by planning to send two Cessna aircraft from the United States to Russia via Armenia. After stricter controls were imposed on Russia in February 2022, he attempted to export a 1968 Cessna 172K and a 1973 Cessna—together valued at about $170,000—to what he claimed was a Russian flight school, without obtaining required licenses or authorization from the Department of Commerce.
In communications with his Russian co-conspirator, Nechaev wrote: “I continue the dialogue (fight) with brokers. I have an idea to send it on our own to Turkey, but I’m afraid it can get stuck.” His co-conspirator replied: “Maybe don’t risk it?”
To hide the real end user and destination of the planes, Nechaev gave false information that indicated Armenia as their final destination. He initially told a U.S.-based freight forwarder that companies in Türkiye would receive the planes; when questioned further, he changed his story multiple times before finally naming an Armenian company as recipient. The freight forwarder noted that “the only company with this name is in Moscow,” prompting Nechaev’s response: “I am on the phone with them now . . . [C]ompany is registered in Armenia, definitely I agree with you 100% with that Moscow reference. is not good at all.”
Nechaev sent falsified paperwork about the exports to co-conspirators at a shipping company based in Russia and coordinated efforts for trans-shipping through Türkiye or Armenia. He also provided contact details for his Russian co-conspirator and instructed others involved on how contracts should be concluded.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron Hubbard and L. Alexander Hamner for the Southern District of Georgia along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The investigation received support from agencies including the Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce, Homeland Security Investigations at DHS, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
