Former Salesman Arrested for Evading U.S. Export Control Laws

Sam Bhambhani, a former salesman for a laser welding machine manufacturer, was charged with conspiring to evade U.S. export laws by selling products to Russia's nuclear company Rosatom. He allegedly collaborated with Russian citizen Maxim Teslenko to falsify export documents from 2015 to 2021. Both face federal charges.

Sam Bhambhani, once a salesman for a company manufacturing laser welding machines, was arrested on Monday. He faces charges of conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws to sell products to a division of Russia's state-run nuclear company, Rosatom.

Bhambhani, a North Attleboro, Massachusetts resident, allegedly collaborated with Maxim Teslenko, a Russian citizen, to falsify documents to hide the true destination of the machines. The charges, filed in federal court in Boston, outline transactions from 2015 to 2021 to Rosatom's subsidiary in Yekaterinburg, which manufactures nuclear munitions and civilian products.

The indictment reveals Bhambhani's conversations with Teslenko, stressing the need to bypass U.S. export controls to facilitate sales. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, U.S. export restrictions have tightened further. Teslenko, not in U.S. custody, was also indicted. No defense lawyers have been identified for either party.