US prosecutors unsealed criminal sanctions violations charges against Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire who was among two dozen allies of Vladimir Putin blacklisted by Washington over Moscow’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US elections.
The indictment filed in Manhattan federal court accused Deripaska of sanctions violations for retaining three female co-defendants who provided or arranged a variety of services for his benefit.
Deripaska, 54, could not immediately be reached for comment.
“As today’s charges reveal, while serving the Russian state and energy sector, Oleg Deripaska sought to circumvent US sanctions through lies and deceit to cash in on and benefit from the American way of life,” said the deputy attorney general, Lisa Monaco.
“But shell companies and webs of lies will not shield Deripaska and his cronies from American law enforcement, nor will they protect others who support the Putin regime. The Department of Justice remains dedicated to the global fight against those who aid and abet the Russian war machine.”
According to the indictment, the defendant Olga Shriki arranged the $3.1m sale of a California music studio in 2019 for Deripaska’s benefit.
The indictment also said Shriki and co-defendant Natalia Bardakova arranged in 2020 for another defendant, Ekaterina Voronina, to travel to the United States from Russia to give birth to Deripaska’s child. It said another trip was arranged this year so Voronina could give birth to a second child.
Lawyers for the women could not immediately be identified, and their whereabouts were not immediately known.
Deripaska, the founder of Moscow-based aluminum producer Rusal, was sanctioned in 2018 during the administration of Donald Trump.
The US treasury department, which enforces sanctions, said at the time that Deripaska was blacklisted because he acted or claimed to act for Russia’s government.
More details soon …