The United States actively seeks the extradition of a man from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vladimir Jovancic. He was accused of aiding the indicted son of a Russian governor with close ties to President Vladimir Putin in escaping house arrest in Italy.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn assert that Jovancic was apprehended in Croatia on U.S. charges related to helping Artem Uss flee Italy to Russia, where Uss faced allegations of illicitly shipping military technologies purchased from U.S. manufacturers to Russian buyers.
In a letter dated December 4 addressed to U.S. District Judge Rachel Kovner, prosecutors requested the detention of Jovancic pending trial upon his arrival in the United States, following extradition proceedings in Croatia.
The charges against Uss, dated October 20, 2022, included accusations of violating U.S. sanctions by shipping Venezuelan oil to Russian and Chinese buyers, coinciding with the U.S.’s efforts to curb violations of sanctions and export controls, exerting pressure on Putin to cease Moscow’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
Additionally, on Tuesday, the U.S. State Department announced a $7 million reward for information leading to Artem Uss’ arrest. Alexander Uss, Artem’s father, resigned as the governor of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region in April shortly after his son returned to Russia.
Prosecutors revealed that Artem Uss and his wife paid Jovancic 50,000 euros ($54,110) to facilitate Uss’s transportation from his Milan residence across the border to Slovenia and ultimately to Serbia, where he boarded a plane to Moscow. Jovancic, identified as an affiliate of a Serbian organized crime group, is charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and instigating or assisting escape.
