According to the indictment, which was unsealed today in the Southern District of New York, Konstantin Malofeyev, 47, of Russia, is charged with conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions and violations of U.S. sanctions in connection with his hiring of an American citizen, Jack Hanick, to work for him in operating television networks in Russia and Greece and attempting to acquire a television network in Bulgaria. As alleged, Malofeyev also conspired with Hanick and others to illegally transfer a $10 million investment that Malofeyev made in a U.S. bank to a business associate in Greece, in violation of the sanctions blocking Malofeyev’s assets from being transferred. Along with the indictment, the United States issued a seizure warrant for Malofeyev’s U.S. investment. Malofeyev remains at large and is believed to be in Russia.
“The Justice Department will work relentlessly to counter Russian aggression, including by enforcing U.S. sanctions law,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “As alleged in the indictment, Konstantin Malofeyev is a Russian oligarch who has been sanctioned since 2014 for threatening Ukraine and providing financial support to the Donetsk separatist region. Malofeyev knowingly violated U.S. sanctions by paying for services of a U.S. person and by seeking to transfer money that had been invested in the United States.”
“Konstantin Malofeyev is closely tied to Russian aggression in Ukraine, having been determined by OFAC to have been one of the main sources of financing for the promotion of Russia-aligned separatist groups operating in the sovereign nation of Ukraine,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “The United States sanctions on Malofeyev prohibit him from paying or receiving services from United States citizens, or from conducting transactions with his property in the United States. But as alleged, he systematically flouted those restrictions for years after being sanctioned. The indictment unsealed today shows this office’s commitment to the enforcement of laws intended to hamstring those who would use their wealth to undermine fundamental democratic processes. This office will continue to be a leader in the Justice Department’s work to hold accountable actors who would support flagrant and unjustified acts of war.”
Source: Russian Oligarch Charged with Violating U.S. Sanctions | OPA | Department of Justice
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