US charges Oxygen Forensics CEO and Russian owner over concealed ownership

September 24, 2026 at 01:45 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

US prosecutors charged Oxygen Forensics CEO Lee Reiber and Russian owner Oleg Davydov over allegations the company concealed Russian ownership while selling software to the Pentagon and Secret Service. Reiber was arrested in Idaho on September 22 and Davydov at London Heathrow on September 20. The indictment alleges the company falsely claimed no foreign ownership and that its software was developed in the United States.

Key Facts

Oxygen Forensics CEO Lee Reiber, 55, of Idaho, was arrested and released on bail on September 22.
Oleg Davydov, 52, of Moscow, was arrested at London Heathrow Airport on September 20, and US officials will seek his extradition.
The National Computer Forensics Institute for the Secret Service signed a five-year contract with Oxygen Forensics in 2024.
Prosecutors allege Oxygen Forensics is owned by Davydov and four other unnamed Russian citizens who also ran a Moscow-based company providing software to Russia's FSB and Investigative Committee.
Both Reiber and Davydov were charged with wire fraud.

The Indictment

In an indictment released on September 23, US prosecutors said Oxygen Forensics and Reiber allegedly told the US government that the Virginia-registered company had no foreign ownership or control and that its software was developed in the United States. Prosecutors alleged that Oxygen Forensics is owned by Davydov and four other unnamed Russian citizens who also ran a Moscow-based company that provides software and technical services to the Federal Security Services, Russia's main intelligence agency, the Investigative Committee, and other law enforcement organizations. Davydov and his partners allegedly moved to conceal Oxygen Forensics' ownership after 2022, when the United States and other Western countries tightened regulations following Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine.

Government Contracts

The digital forensics software that Oxygen provided to US government agencies was data-extraction software used to gather data from computers and other electronic devices. The National Computer Forensics Institute for the Secret Service signed a five-year contract with the company in 2024. Oxygen's forensics software did not contain malicious code, US authorities said, and it was not used to gain access to any government computer systems.

Arrests and Charges

Reiber, 55, of Idaho, was arrested and released on bail on September 22, US prosecutors said. Davydov, 52, of Moscow, was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport on September 20, and US officials said they will seek his extradition. Both Reiber and Davydov were charged with wire fraud.