Overview

• Vladimir Jovancic, a Bosnian national, has been indicted and arrested in Croatia for aiding the escape of Russian defendant Artem Uss from Italy to Russia.
• Uss, who was due to be extradited to the U.S., is accused of heading a global scheme to smuggle sensitive military technologies and Venezuelan oil to sanctioned Russian oligarchs and companies.
• Jovancic and others were allegedly recruited by Uss to help him flee to Russia if extradition was granted.
• Uss, the son of a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has significant business interests in Russia and Italy, and is linked to a transnational fraud, smuggling and money laundering operation.
• The U.S. State Department has announced a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Uss.