The US Department of Justice announced, on Thursday (23), several arrests and charges in different states of the country against Russian oligarchs, two days before the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. government “is more committed than ever to stemming the flow of illegal resources that fuel (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war and to holding accountable those who make it possible,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland , in a statement.
Among the actions announced by the ministry is the arrest of two American associates of Russian oligarch Andrey Kostin, president of the state bank VTB, in New York, as well as new charges against Kostin himself for attempting to violate US sanctions.
Florida authorities also accused pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Sergey Vitalievich Kurchenko of evading sanctions by doing business in the US valued at around US$330 million (R$1.6 billion), and called for the seizure of two luxury apartments owned by another oligarch, Victor Perevalov.
Additionally, in Georgia, a Russian citizen pleaded guilty earlier this month to laundering $150 million from Russian customers.
Finally, Vladislav Osipov, a Russian-Swiss citizen who was previously accused of trying to evade US sanctions, was indicted in the District of Columbia for bank fraud.
The Justice Department's announcement comes a day before the White House unveils a new package of sanctions in retaliation for the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in prison, for which US President Joe Biden blamed Vladimir Putin.
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