US Charges Russian Oligarch, Associates With Conspiring to Violate Russia Sanctions
Russian oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska and his associates Natalia Bardakova and Olga Shriki were charged with conspiring to violate the U.S. sanctions imposed on Deripaska and one of his corporations, Basic Element Limited, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced. Shriki also was charged with obstruction of justice relating to her alleged deletion of electronic records that pertained to her participation in the sanctions evasion scheme. Charges also were levied against Ekaterina Voronina, Deripaska's girlfriend, for making false statements to government officials during her attempted entry into the U.S. to give birth to Deripaska's child.
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The charges stem from the work of Task Force KleptoCapture, the law enforcement task force tasked with enforcing the U.S.'s sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Deripaska owns and controls Basic Element, an investment and management company, and was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018. After his designation, he allegedly conspired with others to circumvent the sanctions, including through the "Gracetown Inc." corporate entity, which used the U.S. financial system to maintain three luxury properties in the U.S. Gracetown employed Shriki and Bardakova and allegedly gave hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of services for Deripaska's benefit in the U.S. For instance, the U.S. Attorney's Office said the entity was used to facilitate the sale of a music studio in California for over $3 million, from which Derpaska benefited.
Bardakova allegedly directed Shriki to engage in illegal transactions on behalf of Deripaska, including to obtain U.S. goods for the sanctioned oligarch, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. From 2018 to 2020, Bardakova allegedly instructed Shriki to buy and send gifts on behalf of Deripaska to his social contacts in the U.S. and Canada. In 2020, Shriki and Bardakova helped Voronina travel to the U.S. from Russia to give birth in the U.S. Shriki carried out the payment of around $300,000 worth of U.S. medical care, housing, childcare and other logistics to help Voronina give birth in the U.S.
Deripaska, Bardakova and Shriki each were charged with one count of conspiracy to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The count comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Shriki was also charged with one count of destruction of records, which also comes with a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Bardakova and Voronina were charged with one count each of making false statements to federal agents -- carrying a maximum five-year sentence.
“The indictment unsealed today signals the United States’ ongoing support for the people of Ukraine in the face of continued Russian belligerence," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. "The enforcement of sanctions is a vital tool wielded by this Office and our law enforcement partners as we seek to deter Russian aggression, and today’s indictment should be taken as a warning that, try as they might, individuals violating these sanctions will be held accountable.”