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NY Court Sentences Sanctioned Russian Billionaire's Attorney to 1 Year House Arrest

Robert Wise, a New York-based lawyer who helped manage luxury properties for sanctioned Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, was sentenced Dec. 5 to one year of house arrest followed by one year of probation. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil also levied a $100,000 fine against the lawyer, to be paid out in $8,333.33 monthly installments over the next year.

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Wise, 83, pleaded guilty in April to participating in a scheme to make around $3.8 million in payments to maintain six real properties in the U.S. owned by Vekselberg, who was sanctioned in 2018 (see 2304260015 and 2302070060). He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit international money laundering, forfeiting over $3.7 million.

The government asked for a "non-incarceratory sentence" against Wise, given his age and medical difficulties.