Associate of Russian oligarch accused of violating sanctions

NEW YORK –

An affiliate of a Russian billionaire was charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with violating U.S. sanctions and cash laundering.

The indictment charged Vladimir Voronchenko, a Russian who’s a everlasting U.S. resident, with becoming a member of a scheme to make over $4 million in funds to take care of 4 U.S. properties belonging to the sanctioned oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. Authorities mentioned Voronchenko additionally tried to promote two of these properties.

Voronchenko was additionally charged with contempt of courtroom for fleeing the U.S. after receiving a grand jury subpoena final May on Fisher Island, Florida, that required his testimony.

Voronchenko took a flight from Miami to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after which to Moscow, authorities mentioned.

Voronchenko, 70, has lived in Moscow, Manhattan, Southampton, New York and Fisher Island, Florida, whereas selling himself as as a profitable businessman, artwork collector and supplier and an in depth good friend and business affiliate of Vekselberg, whose yacht and personal airplane had been blocked final yr by the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. officers mentioned in a launch.

The launch mentioned Vekselberg, by way of a collection of shell corporations, has owned actual property price about $75 million, together with a Manhattan condo, an property in Southampton, New York, together with a Fisher Island, Florida condo and a penthouse condo there.

Authorities mentioned Voronchenko and others tried to promote the Manhattan condo and the Southampton property after Vekselberg was sanctioned in 2018 by the U.S. Treasury Office.

It was not instantly clear if Voronchenko has a lawyer.

Federal brokers in September searched a number of of the properties linked to Voronchenko and Vekselberg.