A Merrimack, New Hampshire man who claims to be Ukrainian and holds Israeli citizenship was sentenced to probation and community service last Friday after he conspired to sell military-use electronics and ammunition to Russia using his home-based Etsy shop.
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In 2022, Alexey Brayman, 38, of Merrimack, NH, was arrested at his home after law enforcement determined that he was part of a broad conspiracy involving two Russian companies known to collaborate with Russian intelligence agencies, Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, to send ammunition and export-controlled electronic components to Russia.
The electronic components reportedly had military applications, including use in nuclear and hypersonic munitions.
At the time of his arrest, Brayman was operating an online Etsy shop with his wife Daria Brayman. While the Etsy shop purportedly sold nightlights and crafts, Brayman was actually using it to disguise shipments of sensitive electronics he was receiving from and sending to co-conspirators in an attempt to funnel them to Russia.
While participating in the conspiracy, Brayman was outwardly living the life of a normal family man with his wife and children. According to his Facebook page, Brayman was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and later reportedly became an Israeli citizen.
At the time of his arrest, he was living legally in the U.S., though it does not appear that he is a U.S. citizen.
Brayman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in 2024 due to his role in the smuggling scheme.
Following his guilty plea, Brayman will face no prison time. Instead, he will spend just two years on probation, pay a $10,000 fine, forfeit an additional $6,000, and complete 50 hours of community service.
He must also comply with immigration authorities, though it is unclear whether he will face removal from the U.S. following his conviction.
He reportedly apologized for his role in the conspiracy during a federal court hearing in Brooklyn, New York.
“I am deeply sorry,” he reportedly said, ““I regret the harm I caused.”
One co-conspirator, Vadim Yermolenko, 47, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Another Russian spy, Vadim Konoshchenok, 48, was extradited to the U.S. from Estonia in 2023 but has since been returned to Russia as part of the prisoner swap that allowed Washington Post journalist and Bowdoin College grad Evan Gershkovich to return to the U.S. after he was arrested in March 2023 in Russia on espionage charges.
Curiously, while her husband was helping to funnel military equipment to Russia, Daria Brayman was using her Facebook page to raise funds for Ukraine, though her account says that she was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
