Sergey Nechaev, a dual citizen of the United States and Russia, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to illegally export aircraft to Russia. The sentencing took place on January 15, 2026, following his arrest in December 2024 and his guilty plea in September 2025.
Nechaev admitted to violating the Export Control Reform Act by trying to export controlled goods without a license, smuggling goods against U.S. law, and submitting false information through official export paperwork.
U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap for the Southern District of Georgia commented: “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 attempted to circumvent tightened U.S. controls on exports to Russia by arranging for two Cessna aircraft worth about $170,000 in total to be sent from the United States to Russia via Armenia. After stricter regulations were put in place in February 2022, he tried exporting a 1968 Cessna 172K and a 1973 Cessna without securing authorization from the Department of Commerce.
Nechaev communicated with a Russian co-conspirator about using alternative routes for shipping, saying: “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 responded: “Maybe don’t risk it?”
To hide the true recipient and final destination of the planes, Nechaev provided false information about end users and destinations—first claiming they were going to companies in Türkiye before changing his story several times, eventually naming an Armenian company as the recipient. When a freight forwarder noted that only a Moscow-based company matched one name provided by Nechaev, he replied: “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.”
He later sent falsified export documents to co-conspirators at a Russian shipping firm and coordinated further shipments through either Türkiye or Armenia.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron Hubbard and L. Alexander Hamner from the Southern District of Georgia along with Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Support came from several agencies including the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security, Homeland Security Investigations within the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
