Chicago-Area Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Illegally Exporting Thermal Riflescopes and Other Military Items to Russia

LOS ANGELES - An Illinois woman was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison for conspiring to unlawfully export to Russia defense articles - including thermal imaging riflescopes and night-vision goggles - without a license in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.

Elena Shifrin, 62, of Mundelein, Illinois, was sentenced by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr.

Shifrin pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act.

According to court documents, from 2017 to 2020, Shifrin participated in the export of more than 60 defense articles from the United States to Russia without obtaining from the State Department a valid license or other approval for such exports.

As Shifrin admitted at her change of plea hearing, Shifrin's co-conspirators purchased the defense articles - including thermal riflescopes, weapons sights, monoculars and night-vision googles - from online sellers in the United States and directed the sellers to mail those items to Shifrin or other co-conspirators in Illinois and California. After receiving the items, Shifrin mailed them to co-conspirators in Russia without obtaining the required licenses.

To conceal her unlawful activities, when Shifrin exported the defense articles to Russia, she listed fictitious sender names and addresses on the packages containing the defense articles, falsely identified the items in the packages as non-export-controlled items such as clothing, and concealed the defense articles in other items such as toolkits and kitchen appliances.

One of Shifrin's co-conspirators, Igor Panchernikov, 43, a former Corona resident who once served in the United States Air Force Reserves, pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and was sentenced in June 2023 to 27 months in federal prison.

Two other defendants charged in this case - Boris Polosin, of Russia, and Vladimir Gohman, of Israel - are fugitives. Charges against another defendant - Vladimir Pridacha, 59, of Volo, Illinois, were dismissed on January 19 at the request of prosecutors.

The FBI's Los Angeles and Chicago field offices investigated this matter, with substantial assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant United States Attorneys David T. Ryan of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, and Wilson Park of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case. The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice's National Security Division is providing substantial assistance.

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