A Hungarian-Spanish citizen was handed a 31-month prison sentence for his role in a scheme to export U.S. military-grade radios to Russia without the necessary licenses. Bence Horvath, a 47-year-old residing in the United Arab Emirates, conspired to transfer the sensitive technology, navigating around U.S. export regulations designed to keep advanced equipment out of potential adversaries’ hands.
Horvath's guilty plea on June 17, 2025, led to his conviction on one count of conspiracy to unlawfully export goods to Russia. In his sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates stipulated Horvath will be subject to deportation after serving his sentence and completing a three-year term of supervised release, and also imposed a $5,000 fine, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The conspiracy was uncovered when discussions between Horvath and a U.S. radio distribution company about acquiring and shipping the military-grade radios to Russia were detected. From January 2023, Horvath engaged in securing and intending the transshipment of these items through Latvia, evading the legal export controls in place.
However, his plans were thwarted as U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a shipment containing 200 of the military-grade radios before they could be delivered to prohibited Russian end users. The collaborative investigation that led to Horvath's arrest included efforts by Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Southeast Field Office, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, with the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section handling the prosecution.
