Canyon Anthony Amarys, a 28-year-old resident of Alamogordo, New Mexico, and National Guardsman, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with his indictment for the attempted violation of the Export Control Reform Act.
The charges allege Amarys initiated a covert relationship to assist a Russian intelligence service and procure controlled military items.
According to the indictment, Amarys met in person in February 2025 with an individual he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent. During this meeting, he allegedly signed a one-page agreement to confirm his covert relationship with a Russian intelligence service.
As part of this arrangement, Amarys agreed to two specific acts: to photograph a military installation on Fort Riley, Kansas, and to procure a helicopter radio for use by the Russian military.
The indictment further details that in March 2025, after purchasing the controlled helicopter radio, Amarys traveled to Kansas to retrieve it and attempt its export. He intended to ship the radio to a purported recipient in Romania.
While doing so, Amarys communicated with the person he believed to be a Russian intelligence agent and confirmed his understanding that the radio would, in fact, be illegally diverted to Russia.
Under U.S. export laws and regulations, the export of this controlled item without a license from the U.S. Department of Commerce was unlawful. Amarys reportedly understood his shipment was illegal, having researched export regulations prior to his meeting in February 2025.
Investigators recovered the radio that Amarys had sought to send to Russia.
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