WASHINGTON, September 17. /TASS/. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service has taken into custody Russian citizen Denis Postovoy, whom the US had previously accused of violating export controls, with a court subsequently ordering him be placed under house arrest, his lawyer William Coffield told TASS.
He said that earlier this month, the court agreed to transfer the Russian to house arrest on standard terms from the Federal District of Columbia to the state of Florida.
"But before he could be released from the jail, the ICE agents went and picked him up from the jail and took him to an ICE detention center in Farmville, Virginia," Coffield said. According to him, that happened on September 11. "He is currently being held in a detention center," the lawyer explained. " So now he's being held in the detention center. We are seeking to get him released on bail."
Speaking about what awaits Postovoy, the lawyer noted: "We're trying to figure a lot of that out right now. Technically what they do is they give you several options. One of them is obviously to be deported," the lawyer explained.
Coffield said that Postovoy now "doesn't have legal status in the United States." According to the lawyer, Postovoy had tried to obtain an American L-1 visa, awarded to foreign specialists, who want to work in the United States, but this request had already lapsed. "So right now, his legal status is up in the air, although his wife has made application and he may get status through that," Coffield explained.
The US Department of Justice said on September 16, 2024, that Postovoy had been detained in Sarasota, Florida. He is accused of violating the US export control regime, smuggling and attempted money laundering. According to the American authorities, Postovoy illegally exported dual-use technologies to Russia, which could allegedly be used during the special military operation in Ukraine. Later Postovoy was taken to Washington by a Florida court order. He was held in the American capital until recently. His trial is expected to take place in the Washington District Court. There are still preliminary hearings going on there.