US Charges Russians, Venezuelans for Sanctions Evasion Using Cryptocurrency
A group of Russian and Venezuelan nationals have been charged by U.S. authorities for their roles in a scheme to circumvent Western sanctions and launder money on a global scale. They have been accused of obtaining military technologies from American companies, smuggling oil, and disguising money flows for Russian oligarchs through shell companies and crypto transactions. Russians Arrested in Europe Face Extradition to US on Allegations of Shipping Oil, Dual-Use Technology in Violation of Sanctions
Five Russian citizens and two Venezuelans have been charged for violations related to the purchase of U.S.-made military and dual-use equipment on behalf of Russian buyers and shipping Venezuelan oil in breach of restrictions. Federal prosecutors say some of the electronic components ended up in Russian weapon systems seized on the battlefield in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, a 12-count indictment was presented in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. The five Russians facing various charges of global procurement and money laundering are Yury Orekhov, Artem Uss, Svetlana Kuzurgasheva, also known as ‘Lana Neumann,’ Timofey Telegin, and Sergey Tulyakov.
The United States currently seeks the extradition of Orekhov and Uss, who were arrested in Germany and Italy respectively. Venezuelan nationals Juan Fernando Serrano Ponce (‘Juanfe Serrano’) and Juan Carlos Soto were also charged. The two brokered illicit oil deals for the Venezuelan state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) as part of the unraveled scheme. Elaborating on the charges, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace stated: As alleged, the defendants were criminal enablers for oligarchs, orchestrating a complex scheme to unlawfully obtain U.S. military technology and Venezuelan sanctioned oil through a myriad of transactions involving shell companies and cryptocurrency.
“We will continue to enforce the unprecedented export controls implemented in response to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine and the Office of Export Enforcement intends to pursue these violators wherever they may be worldwide,” emphasized Jonathan Carson, special agent-in-charge at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement.
U.S. officials claim the defendants used a German-registered entity to carry out the shipments. Yury Orekhov served as the part owner and chief executive of the Hamburg-based company Nord-Deutsche Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (NDA), the main activity of which was industrial equipment and commodity trading.
NDA served as a front company through which the Russians sourced and acquired sensitive technologies such as microprocessors used in fighter aircraft, missile systems, smart munitions, and radar systems. The items were then shipped to end users in the Russian Federation, including sanctioned companies working with Russia’s defense industry.
Using the same entity, Orekhov and Uss also smuggled hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela for Russian and Chinese clients. Among them, the aluminum company of a Russian oligarch under sanctions and a Beijing-based oil and gas conglomerate, said to be the world’s largest.
The deals between PDVSA and NDA were brokered by the Venezuelans and transactions worth millions of U.S. dollars were routed through a number of shell companies and bank accounts. The participants in the scheme also employed cash drops through couriers in Russia and Latin America and crypto transfers to conduct the transactions and launder the proceeds, the DOJ alleged. If convicted, the defendants face up to 30 years’ imprisonment, the announcement noted. Tags in this story arrests, circumvention, components, conflict, Defense, DOJ, evasion, extradition, indictment, military, Money Laundering, OIL, Russia, russian, russians, Sanctions, smuggling, Ukraine, Venezuela, Venezuelans, War
Do you expect other arrests of people involved in the sanctions evasion scheme? Tell us in the comments section below. Lubomir Tassev
Lubomir Tassev is a journalist from tech-savvy Eastern Europe who likes Hitchens’s quote: “Being a writer is what I am, rather than what I do.” Besides crypto, blockchain and fintech, international politics and economics are two other sources of inspiration. Onecoin Cryptoqueen Associates Appear in German Court NEWS | 1 hour ago German Crypto Bank Nuri Asks Clients to Withdraw Funds as It Goes Out of Business NEWS | 13 hours ago
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons Previous articleInvestor Richard Mills Says Economy Is Rushing Into a ‘US Dollar Crisis of Epic Proportions’ Next articleBrazil-Based Neobank Nubank to Launch Own Cryptocurrency as Part of Loyalty Program Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Read disclaimerShow comments More Popular NewsIn Case You Missed ItTony Hawk"s Latest NFTs to Come With Signed Physical Skateboards
Last December, the renowned professional skateboarder Tony Hawk released his “Last Trick” non-fungible token (NFT) collection via the NFT marketplace Autograph. Next week, Hawk will be auctioning the skateboards he used during his last tricks, and each of the NFTs ... read more.Fidelity Investments Launches Crypto, Metaverse ETFs — Says "We Continue to See Demand" Bill ‘On Digital Currency’ Caps Crypto Investments for Russians, Opens Door for Payments Iran to Increase Penalties for Unauthorized Cryptocurrency Mining Economist Predicts the Fed"s Response to Inflation Will Push Crypto Higher