Suburban New Hampshire who ran craft shop with wife ‘smuggled nuclear technology to Russia’

A modest New Hampshire husband who runs an online craft store with his wife has been charged with conspiring to supply Russia with high-tech equipment used in the development of nuclear weapons.

In an elaborate conspiracy akin to the plot of a television spy drama, Alexey Brayman and his accomplices allegedly operated an international network that smuggled sensitive technologies into Russia via Europe.

Brayman and his wife, Daria, share a quaint suburban home in Merrimack, New Hampshire, where they run an online craft store and nightlight business.

That house is the clearinghouse where Brayman trafficked “advanced electronics and sophisticated test equipment used in quantum computing, hypersonic and nuclear weapons development, and other military and space-based military applications,” prosecutors allege.

The equipment “could make a significant contribution to the military potential or nuclear proliferation of other nations or could be detrimental to the … national security of the United States,” it is claimed.

Brayman and his wife (pictured), who have not been charged, ran an online craft store and have been described as the “nicest family.”

Brayman reportedly received the equipment at his home in New Hampshire, before shipping it to Europe and eventually Russia.

The case came to light amid Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, and growing concern in Moscow over dwindling supplies of weapons and technology.

Sanctions on Western technology and electronics by countries including the United States have made it increasingly difficult for Russia to obtain the equipment it needs for the war effort, which has killed thousands of civilians in Ukraine.

Details of the plot involving Brayman emerged in newly unsealed court documents obtained by the boston globe.

The conspiracy is a world away from the Braymans’ local reputation as “the friendliest family,” who enjoy ice skating, basketball games, and local art festivals.

In fact, pictures of the snow-covered family home today show that it has been decorated for the holidays with inflatable Santa Claus, a snowman and reindeer, along with a Christmas tree and fairy lights.

Brayman lives with his wife in a charming New Hampshire neighborhood.

Alexey Brayman and his wife, Daria, are described as “the nicest family” and both regularly share photos on Facebook of themselves enjoying time with friends and family.

Brayman is charged with a key role in a conspiracy to send sensitive technology to Russia that can be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Brayman, seen posing in a convertible car, enjoys the pool, basketball and family vacations. Prosecutors say he used his family home to funnel weapons-grade technology to Russia.

The equipment trafficked by Brayman, whose wife has not been charged, is said to include expensive semiconductors and other high-tech devices such as oscilloscopes. This is considered “dual-use” technology because it can be used in both civilian and military products.

Brayman received the equipment piecemeal from co-conspirators whose tactics to conceal the conspiracy included the use of front companies headed by Russian businessmen, it is alleged.

It then shipped the technology to Germany and Estonia, which authorities describe as “common transshipment points for items ultimately destined for Russia.”

He is named in a 16-count indictment unsealed today, along with co-defendants Yevgeniy Grinin, Aleksey Ippolitov, Boris Livshits, Svetlana Skvortsova, Vadim Konoshchenok and Vadim Yermolenko.

The charges include conspiracy, money laundering, smuggling, and bank and wire fraud.

The charges follow a lengthy investigation by authorities into the plot, which has drawn comparisons to The Americans, a television drama about two Russian agents posing as an American couple during the Cold War.

Konoshchenok has already been arrested in Estonia and Yermolenko was arrested today in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Brayman was expected to surrender today.

A federal magistrate approved a search of Brayman’s home in October. The raid was conducted by FBI counterintelligence agents who searched for devices including computers and cell phones.

Brayman and his wife, pictured together, ran an online craft store and night light business.

Daria Brayman told the Globe she didn’t know of anything illegal going on at her home, saying: “We do festivals and craft fairs.”

His Facebook page says he’s from Chelyabinsk, Russia, and includes posts about supporting Ukraine, fundraising for local causes in New Hampshire, and ads for his artisan products.

Brayman’s Facebook profile includes selfies with a friend at a Boston Celtics game, photos with his wife during a trip to Israel, and various other posts about good times with family and friends.

He lists his hometown as kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Daria’s LinkedIn adds that he received a master’s degree in professional communication from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2012.

The plot in which Brayman allegedly has a key role dates back to 2017, when Russian citizens based in his home country embarked on a scheme to obtain prohibited American products.

The group was linked to Sertal, a Moscow-based company that has been sanctioned by US authorities. [procuring] dual-use equipment and technology for Russia’s defense sector.

The United States has imposed a series of sanctions designed to prevent Russia from obtaining “critical Western technology.”

Brayman allegedly trafficked “advanced electronics and sophisticated test equipment used in quantum computing, hypersonic and nuclear weapons.” Pictured: A Russian nuclear missile rolls across Red Square during a military parade on June 24, 2020 in Moscow.

Brayman allegedly trafficked “advanced electronics and sophisticated test equipment used in quantum computing, hypersonic and nuclear weapons.” Pictured: A Russian S-400 missile defense system drives in Red Square in central Moscow on May 9, 2022.

Russia’s arms stocks have been greatly depleted by its brutal ongoing war with Ukraine. In the photo: Ukrainian rescuers dismantle a residential building that was hit by a Russian missile in Kharkiv.

Co-defendant Livshits allegedly purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of sanctioned items from US companies by misleading sellers about the items’ destination.

The equipment was then shipped to the Braymans’ home, where it was repackaged and shipped to countries including Germany and Estonia before being moved to Russia, it is claimed.

Attempts to conceal the plot included the use of front companies, false shipping documents, and fragmentation of deliveries to avoid suspicion.

But court records reveal that authorities have gathered a wealth of evidence including emails, shipping records and help from a confidential source.

In a sting, US authorities attached a tracking device to a ‘signal generator’ purchased by Livshits and tracked it from Nevada to Merrimack, then to JFK airport in New York, where it was seized.

James Byrne, director of the Royal United Services Institute, told the Globe that technologies like those involved in the plot could be used in missile systems to “hit very specific targets.”

‘[They’re] a very important part of how Russia fights a war,’ he said.