WASHINGTON, October 31 (RIA Novosti) — Russian national Vadim Mikerin, the head of the TENAM Corp, the US subsidiary of the Russia's state-owned exporter of nuclear materials Techsnabexport, was arrested in the United States on allegations of participating in a kickback scheme in exchange for granting uranium supply contracts to US citizens, FBI spokesperson told RIA Novosti Friday.
“I can confirm the arrest,” Andrew Ames said.
“A criminal complaint was unsealed late yesterday charging Vadim Mikerin, age 55, a Russian national residing in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with conspiring to commit extortion in connection with a scheme to obtain contracts from a Russian company without having to compete for the contracts,” US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said in a press release Friday.
According to the document, Mikerin received $1,7 million in bribes for granting three US citizens over $33 million in noncompetitive contracts.
“Kickbacks deprive honest competitors of the opportunity to compete for business, and they cheat a company of its right to faithful decisions by its employee,” said US Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.
JSC Techsnabexport, also known by its brand name of TENEX, exports enriched uranium product and uranium conversion to a number of key markets, including the United States, Mexico, China, South Africa, Japan and several European states.
