Hans Maria De Geetere, a 61-year-old Belgian national, was charged Tuesday by the American DOJ with allegedly smuggling sensitive technology to Russia and China.
De Geetere is charged with conspiracy and illegally smuggling goods from the United States, conspiracy to launder money and three counts of false statements, the DOJ stated in a press release. (RELATED: DOJ Announces Mass Charging Of Alleged Cartel-Linked Drug Traffickers)
Belgian National Charged with Crimes Related to Scheme to Illegally Procure Critical U.S. Technology for End Users in China and Russiahttps://t.co/gmYdKNZbam pic.twitter.com/fM7dvzkmUR
— National Security Division, U.S. Dept of Justice (@DOJNatSec) December 6, 2023
The release alleges that De Geetere sought to obtain military-grade electronic components used in American missiles, drones and radars, and that he intended to smuggle these items to Russia and China.
The DOJ claims that De Geetere was involved in two separate smuggling conspiracies, one between 2016 to 2018 and the other from 2021 to 2023.
The Belgian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office stated that it had executed search warrants in conjunction with the FBI and arrested six people in Belgium and the Netherlands on Tuesday for questioning. The DOJ noted that one of these six persons was De Geetere.
“These coordinated actions, which include the unsealing of federal indictments against De Geetere, his arrest abroad, and additions to our Entity List, demonstrate our commitment to cutting off the flow of critical U.S. electronics to the [People’s Republic of China] and Russia,” Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod said in the DOJ release.
The U.S. State Department referred to De Geetere as “the leader of this procurement network,” while the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it would be targeting De Geetere’s network with sanctions. “Today’s coordinated action reflects our collective commitment to enforcing our sanctions and export controls, including holding accountable those who seek to evade these measures,” Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson stated in the Treasury press release.
If found guilty, De Geetere faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy and for each of the three counts of making false statements, 10 years for smuggling, and 20 years for conspiracy to launder funds, the DOJ stated.