BOISE, Idaho — A former Boise police officer who is now the CEO of a Virginia-based software company has been federally charged with allegedly hiding the company's Russian ownership and development from the U.S. government.
Lee Reiber, 55, became CEO, president and chairman of Oxygen Forensics Inc. in March 2022. He also worked for the Boise Police Department from 1995 to 2009.
According to federal prosecutors, Oxygen Forensics was actually owned and controlled by Russian nationals, including alleged co-conspirator Oleg Sergeyevich Davydov, 52, of Moscow.
Prosecutors also allege the company's software was developed in Russia, despite representations that it was developed in the United States.
The company was awarded a five-year contract through the National Computer Forensics Institute after Reiber certified that it had no foreign affiliations, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The company also sought contracts with the Department of War and the Department of Homeland Security.
Prosecutors say Reiber and Davydov agreed to conceal the company's ownership and development after the U.S. expanded sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
The DOJ said there is no allegation that the software contained malicious code or allowed unauthorized access to U.S. government systems or data.
Reiber was arrested in Idaho and released on bond. He is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles at a later date. The U.S. is seeking to have Davydov extradited from Russia.
If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
