One of the first indictments of a Russian national for allegedly violating sanctions has now been issued, as global authorities step up their enforcement of bans put in place to slow or end the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The U.S., the European Union and the United Kingdom have all issued sweeping sanctions on people they believe to be close to the Kremlin or Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Some of those are oligarchs, Russians who, after the Soviet Union collapsed, made fabulous wealth by selling off the country's natural resources.
Around half of them have now found themselves on a list of growing sanctions from international regulators, which are attempting to squeeze Russia's political and economic classes into persuading Putin to end the nearly six-week-old invasion.
International banks, high-end luxury dealers and even children at boarding schools who are related to oligarchs have all been stymied by sanctions enforcement. Scrutiny of where wealthy Russians are living and working and whether they are operating within international guidelines has been growing.
Despite that level of interest, only half of Russia's billionaires are actually under sanction.
Indicted Russian Allegedly Broke Sanctions
Now, the U.S. is unsealing indictments it has leveled against Russians who allegedly have violated their sanctions orders.
That effort led to the indictment of the Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, who U.S. government officials said helped finance the 2014 invasion of Crimea.
They said Malofeyev, who is believed to be in Russia, gave support to a Russian separatist group, the Donetsk People’s Republic, which was active in the Donetsk region.
Malofeyev was charged in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which unsealed the indictment on Wednesday.
Violation of those sanctions could result in a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, the government said.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland quickly delivered remarks on how the U.S. government would be cracking down on Russians under sanctions, both now and from the 2014 conflict.
"When we announced the launch of the KleptoCapture Task Force last month, I said we would leave no stone unturned in our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those whose criminal acts enable Russia to continue its unjust war in Ukraine," Garland said.
"That is a promise we are keeping," he said. "...Today, we are assisting international efforts to identify and hold accountable those responsible for atrocities in Ukraine. And we will continue to do so."
Here's How Sanctions Were Allegedly Violated
Malofeyev has also been charged with collaborating with an American named John Hanick, who was the first person to be indicted under sanctions guidelines.
Hanick is accused of setting up broadcast networks in Greece and at the behest of Russian authorities. And the government said on April 7 that he was also linked to Malofeyev.
Hanick and Malofeyev are accused of attempting to illegally transfer a large sum of money to a fixer they had in Greece, via a U.S. bank account.
