Spanish-Hungarian businessman pleads guilty in U.S. to exporting military tech to Russia

A Spanish-Hungarian businessman who lived in the United Arab Emirates has pleaded guilty in Washington, D.C., to conspiring to illegally export U.S.-origin military-grade radio technology to Russian end users, according to prosecutors.

Bence Horvath, 47, entered his plea on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in D.C. He admitted to one count of conspiring to unlawfully export goods to Russia and to defraud the United States. Sentencing is scheduled for September 30.

According to court documents, Horvath and others began discussing the procurement and export of U.S.-manufactured radios and related accessories in early 2023, despite restrictions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The equipment, which was classified as military-grade communications technology, was to be purchased from a small American distributor and transshipped to Russia through a freight forwarder in Latvia.

Over several months, Horvath coordinated the purchase of 200 such radios. However, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted the shipment, preventing the technology from reaching its intended destination in Russia.

According to the Spanish outlet El Confidencial, Horvath was detained upon arriving at San Francisco International Airport. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a Hungarian passport.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of Commerce, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.