Greek businessman Nikolaos Bogonikolos, who is accused of spying for Russia against the US, was arrested in Paris and charged in a Brooklyn federal court with conspiracy and smuggling.
Nikolaos Bogonikolos, originally from Patras, is the owner of the Aratos Group (founded in 2003), was arrested in Paris on 9 May 2023 and remains in custody as discussions are underway for his extradition to the US.
He allegedly conspired to obtain sensitive technological material used in quantum computing and nuclear testing to further Russia's defence research and development, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
The Aratos Group owns several companies based in Greece and the Netherlands. These companies are said to have expertise in areas such as "space-related technologies", "Homeland Security" and Blockchain technologies widely used in cryptocurrencies.
Nikolaos Bogonikolos has written the book "The New Blockchain Economy". According to the FBI, he has a degree in mathematics and holds a master's degree and a doctorate from the National Economic University in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
In recent years, he has resided permanently in Athens, was active in Patras and a few years ago he was involved in basketball as the owner of Olympiada Patras, during the period when it was playing in the A1 league. He was involved with the PAOK volleyball team and the basketball team of Pagrati.
