(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The Justice Department announced charges on Wednesday against two men accused of selling Russian software to U.S. government agencies while pretending that their product was made in America.
Lee Reiber, 55, of Boise, Idaho, and Oleg Sergeyevich Davydov, 52, of Moscow, Russia, are accused of concealing that their company, Oxygen Forensics, was owned by Russian nationals, and that its software was developed in Russia. After the U.S. increased sanctions on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Reiber and Davydov allegedly obtained millions of dollars in contracts from the Defense Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the DHS Inspector General, the Secret Service and the National Computer Forensics Institute.
The DOJ does not allege that the software contained malicious code or that it was used to gain unauthorized access to any government data.
According to charging papers, Davydov, Reiber and several other unnamed co-conspirators concealed the origin of Oxygen Forensics by forming a shell company in Cyprus, through which the Russians secretly controlled the software firm.
“In truth, OXYGEN US was owned and controlled by DAVYDOV and the other four SHAREHOLDERS, who were Russian nationals and residents. The SHAREHOLDERS owned OXYGEN CYPRUS, which in turn owned 100% of OXYGEN US; they also owned OXYGEN RUSSIA, whose customers included the FSB and other Russian security services,” charging papers state—adding that the software code was developed in Russia.
The Secret Service and other government agencies awarded millions of dollars in contracts to a Russian software company pretending to be American, according to charges announced this week.
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— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 26, 2026
Davydov and Reiber allegedly used their murky corporate structure to secure contracts with U.S. government agencies, including the Secret Service, which was duped by their false representations. They planned to leverage their Secret Service contracts to obtain more opportunities with other agencies, the DOJ alleges.
“The Secret Service Digital Forensics Program Manager responsible for the 2023 award stated that he personally checked OXYGEN US’s SAM Reps and Certs before the solicitation and relied on them in the award and in each option-year renewal,” charging papers state.
“REIBER considered the Secret Service relationship as the path to a larger multi-year contract with the NCFI, which trains state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement personnel and equips its graduates with forensic software.”
However, Oxygen Forensic had a cloud of suspicion hanging over it for years. In November 2023, for instance, a reporter asked Oxygen US about its connection to Russia—prompting the company to scramble and deny any such connection.
“When news reports in February 2026 identified OXYGEN US as Russian-owned, REIBER and OXYGEN US’s Vice President of Operations told NCFI in writing that OXYGEN US was not owned or controlled by any Russian entity and that no member of the development team was based in Russia,” charging papers state.
“On March 6, 2026, in a recorded call with undercover agents posing as DHS contracting personnel in the Central District of California, REIBER denied that any Russian citizen or person in Russia had any ownership interest in or control over OXYGEN US, any role in developing the FORENSIC SOFTWARE, or any access to the environment in which it was developed, and stated that those denials had been true since 2022.”
Reiber was arrested in Idaho on Sunday, while Davydov was arrested in London on the same day. Reiber is set to be arraigned in the coming weeks. The U.S. is seeking Davydov’s extradition. Each men faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
