A Russian man arrested in the Northern Marianas a month ago and then flown to Hawaii has asked to be released on bail.
The Kalina Mall - a project of the Russian fugitive Makarenko who the FBI arrested in Saipan last month. Photo: Kalina Mall website
Dmitrii Makarenko was charged in Florida in 2017 with conspiring and attempting to export defence articles without a license and money laundering.
According to the Russian Legal Information Agency, his lawyers said the night vision gear acquired with a Florida-based co-defendant Vladimir Nevidomy was intended for personal use.
The Agency reported that a 10-day period of his preliminary detention expired in Hawaii on January 16 but that the shutdown of the US government delayed proceedings.
It claimed that Mr Makarenko was being denied full legal assistance to prepare for the trial.
Despite an arrest warrant, Mr Makarenko reportedly travelled with his family from Vladivostok to Saipan for the New Year's holiday for the last three years.
The Russian news site The Bell said his main business interests were in real estate, and next month he was due to open Vladivostok's shopping mall.