A New York judge has authorized U.S. prosecutors to seize a $90 million private plane owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch, continuing the seizure of Russian assets in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Airbus A319-100 aircraft is owned by Andrei Skoch, a member of Russia’s State Duma, its lower house of parliament, and a billionaire with stakes in the metal and mining industries who has been sanctioned by the United States since 2018.
RUSSIAN-OWNED SUPERYACHT LEAVES FIJI UNDER US CONTROL
The Russian billionaire owns the plane through a series of shell companies and trusts tied to his romantic partner, the Department of Justice said Monday.
Authorities allege that Skoch violated federal anti-money laundering laws by using U.S. dollars to pay for the plane’s registration fees and other necessary expenses despite sanctions.
The plane is believed to be located in Kazakhstan.
Skoch was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 because of his “longstanding ties to Russian organized criminal groups, including time spent leading one such enterprise.” In 2022, The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued additional sanctions against Skoch and his assets for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In addition to the plane, OFAC identified several other assets tied to Skoch, including a 324-foot yacht named the Madame Gu, a helicopter, and a villa at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seychelles. So far, those assets have yet to be authorized for U.S. seizure.
The investigation into Skoch’s ownership of the plane was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, which is enforcing sanctions and economic countermeasures imposed on Russia.
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Authorities previously obtained a warrant for seizure of two private planes owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in June. That same month, a superyacht owned by Suleyman Kerimov departed Fiji under U.S. seizure.
