Kansas Business Executive Guilty of Trying to Illegally Export American Tech to Russia
UNDATED (KPR) - Federal prosecutors say a Kansas man has pleaded guilty to circumventing U.S. export laws and selling sophisticated and controlled avionics equipment to customers in Russia. The Justice Department says 56-year-old Douglas Edward Robertson, of Olathe, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to sell advanced U.S. avionics equipment to Russian customers, in violation of federal law. Robertson is the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company. Robertson faces up to 65 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 3.
According to court documents, as part of his guilty plea, Robertson admitted that between 2020 and when he was arrested in March 2023, he conspired with other co-defendants, including Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky of Lawrence, to smuggle American avionics equipment to end users in Russia and other countries.
In December 2023, Buyanovsky, the former President and owner of KanRus, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering and consented to the forfeiture of over $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and accessories, and a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment. On March 19, Chistyakov, a former KanRus broker, was arrested in Riga, Latvia, for his role in the illegal smuggling scheme. Chistyakov remains detained in Latvia pending extradition proceedings.
(–Additional Reporting–)
Kansas Businessman Pleads Guilty in Case over Illegal Export of Aviation Technology to Russia
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas businessman has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive aviation technology to Russian companies in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Douglas Edward Robertson, who lives in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, was the second Kansas business executive to plead guilty to charges after being accused of smuggling, money laundering, violating U.S. export regulations, submitting false or misleading information to export regulators and conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., all for profit. Their arrests and the arrest of a Latvian associate in March 2023 came as the U.S. ramped up sanctions and financial penalties on Russia over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Robertson, 56, entered his plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Kansas City. The judge set his sentencing for Oct. 3. Robertson pleaded guilty to four of the 26 counts against him and could face up to 20 years in prison for either the money laundering or export violations convictions.
According to prosecutors, starting in October 2020, the defendants sought to sell electronics that included threat detection systems and flight, navigation and communications controls, to two Russian aircraft parts distributors, a Russian aircraft repair firm and a Russian aircraft services company. They sought to hide their unlicensed activities by going through companies and using bank accounts elsewhere, including Armenia, Cyprus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates.
“Those who seek to profit by illegally selling sophisticated U.S. technology to our adversaries are putting the national security of our country at risk," Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch, said in a statement.
One of Robertson's attorneys, Branden Bell, declined to comment when reached Wednesday.
U.S. export controls were meant to limit Russia’s access to computer chips and other products needed to equip a modern military. The indictment against Robertson said the electronics he and the other two men sought to export “could make a significant contribution” to another nation's military.
Robertson, a commercial pilot, and Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, an aviation engineer from Lawrence, operated the KanRus Trading Co. together and worked with Oleg Chistyakov, a Latvian citizen who frequently traveled to the UAE, according to prosecutors.
Buyanovsky pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiring to launder money and one count of conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., and his sentencing is set for Nov. 14. There is no indication of whether Chistyakov has been taken into custody, and he has yet to enter a plea, according to online court records.
The indictment charging the three men lists nine exports of aviation electronics to Russian companies from February 2021 through December 2022 and attempts to export electronics once in February 2022 and twice in March 2023.
Prosecutors have said the U.S. government seized $450,000 in electronics blocked from export the day before Buyanovsky and Robertson were arrested.
“Robertson’s guilty plea is reflective of the strong evidence gathered against him by federal investigators and the solid case presented by federal prosecutors,” Kate E. Brubacher, the chief federal prosecutor in Kansas, said in a statement.
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Kansas Judge Partially Blocks Biden Administration's New Rules on Trans Athletes
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge in Kansas has blocked a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students from being enforced in four states and a patchwork of places elsewhere across the nation. U.S. District Judge John Broomes suggested in his decision Tuesday that the Biden administration must now consider whether enforcing the rule remains worth the effort. Broomes’ decision is the third against the rule from a federal judge in recent weeks. It applies in Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming because they sued. It also applies to a Stillwater, Oklahoma, middle school that has a student suing and to members of three groups also fighting the rule.
Republicans have argued that the rule represents a ruse by the Biden administration to allow transgender females to play on girls' and women's sports teams, something banned or restricted in Kansas and at least 24 other states.
(-Additional Reporting-)
Judge's Order Greatly Expands Where Biden Can't Enforce New Rule Protecting LGBTQ+ Students
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Enforcement of a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students has been blocked in four states and a patchwork of places elsewhere by a federal judge in Kansas. U.S. District Judge John Broomes suggested in his ruling Tuesday that the Biden administration must now consider whether forcing compliance remains “worth the effort.”
Broomes' decision was the third against the rule from a federal judge in less than three weeks but more sweeping than the others. It applies in Alaska, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, which sued over the new rule. It also applies to a Stillwater, Oklahoma, middle school that has a student suing over the rule and to members of three groups backing Republican efforts nationwide to roll back LGBTQ+ rights. All of them are involved in one lawsuit.
Broomes, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, directed the three groups — Moms for Liberty, Young America’s Foundation and Female Athletes United — to file a list of schools in which their members' children are students so that their schools also do not comply with the rule. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican who argued the states' case before Broomes last month, said that could be thousands of schools.
The Biden administration rule is set to take effect in August under the Title IX civil rights law passed in 1972, barring sex discrimination in education. Broomes' order is to remain in effect through a trial of the lawsuit in Kansas, though the judge concluded that the states and three groups are likely to win.
Republicans have argued that the rule represents a ruse by the Biden administration to allow transgender females to play on girls' and women's sports teams, something banned or restricted in Kansas and at least 24 other states. The administration has said it does not apply to athletics. Opponents of the rule have also framed the issue as protecting women and girls' privacy and safety in bathrooms and locker rooms. “Gender ideology does not belong in public schools and we are glad the courts made the correct call to support parental rights,” Moms for Liberty co-founders Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice said in a statement.
LGBTQ+ youth, their parents, health care providers and others say restrictions on transgender youth harms their mental health and makes an often marginalized group even more vulnerable. The Department of Education has previously stood by its rule and President Joe Biden has promised to protect LGBTQ+ rights.
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.
Besides Broomes, two other federal judges issued rulings in mid-June blocking the new rule in 10 other states. The rule would protect LGBTQ+ students by expanding the definition of sexual harassment at schools and colleges and adding safeguards for victims.
Like the other judges, Broomes called the rule arbitrary and concluded that the Department of Education and its secretary, Miguel Cardona, exceeded the authority granted by Title IX. He also concluded that the rule violated the free speech and religious freedom rights of parents and students who reject transgender students' gender identities and want to espouse those views at school or elsewhere in public.
Broomes said his 47-page order leaves it to the Biden administration “to determine in the first instance whether continued enforcement in compliance with this decision is worth the effort.” Broomes also said non-transgender students' privacy and safety could be harmed by the rule. He cited the statement of the Oklahoma middle school student that “on some occasions” cisgender boys used a girls' bathroom “because they knew they could get away with it.”
“It is not hard to imagine that, under the Final Rule, an industrious older teenage boy may simply claim to identify as female to gain access to the girls' showers, dressing rooms, or locker rooms, so that he can observe female peers disrobe and shower,” Broomes wrote.
(–Related–)
Kansas Congressional Candidate Breaks with Democrats on Transgender Sports
UNDATED (KNS) – A Kansas Democrat running for Congress is defying her party’s platform on transgender women playing women’s sports. The Kansas News Service reports that Nancy Boyda won the state’s second congressional district in 2006. Now seeking reelection, she says transgender girls and women should not compete in girls’ and women’s school sports. Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, says the stance might help Boyda in the Republican-leaning district. But other issues like the economy, abortion and immigration might matter more. “The transgender issue gets attention drastically disproportionate to how important most voters think it is when they cast votes,” he explained. He also said that Boyda’s stance might boost her electability in a Republican-leaning district. “That's something that I think would help a Democrat, would be, just be seen as more moderate in the general election,” he added. Democratic primary challenger Matt Kleinmann says school sports is a local issue. There are also five Republicans running for the seat.
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Kansas Total Tax Collections Back Up in June
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – June's tax collections in Kansas were higher than expected. Total tax collections last month came in at $1.03 billion. That's $24 million, or 2.4%, more than the estimate. The Kansas Department of Revenue reports that total tax collections are up 3.9% from June of last year. The state ended the month of May with tax collections at nearly $659 million, about 23% below the estimate.
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Experts Warn Ranchers About Cattle Heat Stress
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) - Western Kansas has the highest concentration of cattle in the state, and the animals can be sensitive to extreme heat. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause heat stress. Just two years ago, Kansas saw heat kill more than 1,000 head of cattle. Kansas State University warns that the heat in southwest Kansas will continue to affect animal comfort and temperatures may only get worse. Cattle are easily prone to heat stress, which can affect their milk production and productivity, or even cause mass death. Feedlots are financial lifelines for some western Kansas communities, but the radiant heat from dirt and concrete makes their environment more dangerous for cattle than pastures.
Will Milashoski, livestock instructor at Seward County Community College, says extreme weather can be bad for the beef industry. “They still put a lot of money into those smaller towns and small communities," he said. "So, when business is bad for them, it can also be bad for the smaller towns as well. As those businesses struggle, those communities around them will struggle, whether it be layoffs, you know, if we're losing too many cattle we're not we're not making this sustainable," he said. Milashoski says ranchers need to monitor their herds and provide access to shade and extra water. But he says feedlots will have a harder time providing those amenities.
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Kansas City Current Still Undefeated in NWSL; Title Game Coming to KC this Fall
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - In the National Women’s Soccer League, the Kansas City Current will try to extend its unbeaten streak Saturday night against the Orlando Pride, which is also undefeated. The first-place Current have ten wins and five ties. The Pride will take an identical record into their match at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. Current coach Vlatko Andonovski says everyone recognizes the marquee matchup. "It’s arguably the most important game, or the biggest game. But it’s not. The final is the biggest game. Hopefully we get to the final and that’s the one that will matter the most," he said. The women's league just announced that the league’s title match will be decided in Kansas City on November 23, regardless of the teams that make it to the big match.
The women's league is only halfway through its season, but the Kansas City Current’s record-breaking unbeaten streak shows the team could have a shot at one of the two finalist slots. CPKC Stadium made history as the first stadium built specifically for a professional women’s sports team. Tickets will be available soon. And they are likely to sell fast - last year’s championship drew more than double CPKC’s capacity of 11,500.
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Ex-KU Stars Chalmers, Collins File Class-Action Lawsuit vs. NCAA, Others over March Madness
NEW YORK (AP) — Former University of Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins are among 16 former men’s college basketball players who have sued the NCAA and multiple conferences, claiming they are profiting from the unauthorized use of their names, images and likenesses in promoting and monetizing the March Madness tournament.
Chalmers hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime in the 2008 national championship game against Memphis on the way to the title. The lawsuit says the NCAA and Turner Sports Interactive – another defendant – have profited from replaying Chalmers’ shot without paying him.
The Big East, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and ACC also are defendants in the class-action lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.
“The NCAA has conspired with conferences, colleges, licensing companies, and apparel companies to fix the price of student-athlete labor near zero and make student-athletes unwitting and uncompensated lifetime pitchmen for the NCAA,” the lawsuit states.
The suit said March Madness generates close to $1 billion in annual revenue for the NCAA, but none has gone to the plaintiffs, who are seeking unspecified damages.
“The NCAA’s illegal conduct has damaged plaintiffs by diminishing their opportunity to maximize their compensation for their publicity rights, including their rights related to images related to the most profitable portion of NCAA’s revenue, basketball,” the suit says. “The full amount of this damage is currently unknown, and it continues to increase as the NCAA and its affiliates and co-conspirators continue to profit from the NCAA’s ongoing, uninterrupted usurpation of plaintiffs’ and class members publicity rights.”
An NCAA spokesperson declined comment Wednesday. The organization is already facing a number of federal lawsuits challenging its longstanding amateurism model and the case comes amidst dramatic changes that cleared the way for compensation of athletes.
A 2021 decision by the NCAA to allow athletes to earn endorsement money opened the door for millions of dollars in spending that has, among other things, changed how schools and donor-backed efforts target recruits. In May, the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest conferences agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims, setting the stage for a revenue-sharing model that would send millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as next year.
Other plaintiffs include Ryan Boatright (Connecticut), A.J. Bramlett, Eugene Edgerson and Jason Terry (Arizona), James Cunningham (Arizona State and Tulsa), Alex Oriakhi (Connecticut and Missouri) and Matt Pressey (Missouri).
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