https://www.justice.gov/ en https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-fugitive-sentenced-laundering-15m-embezzled-kuwaiti-embassy A Virginia man was sentenced today to three years in prison for laundering money he and others embezzled from the Health Office of the Embassy of Kuwait in Washington, D.C. Tue, 02 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-fugitive-sentenced-laundering-15m-embezzled-kuwaiti-embassy https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-seeks-forfeiture-14-million-manhattan-apartments-purchased-proceeds The Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York alleging that two apartments located in New York City were purchased for $14 million with the proceeds from an international corruption scheme and are subject to forfeiture based on violations of federal money laundering statutes. Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-seeks-forfeiture-14-million-manhattan-apartments-purchased-proceeds https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/acting-assistant-attorney-general-nicole-m-argentieri-delivers-remarks-german-federal Thank you, Minister Buschmann, for convening this important conference and offering me the opportunity to speak on holding war criminals to account. As we approach the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and in the face of the unspeakable atrocities that have occurred, the United States, along with Germany and all of our other partners and participants gathered here, is committed to working with the Government of Ukraine and other international partners to ensure accountability for these crimes. Fri, 23 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/acting-assistant-attorney-general-nicole-m-argentieri-delivers-remarks-german-federal https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-transfers-approximately-500000-forfeited-russian-funds-estonia-benefit Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Estonian Secretary General Tõnis Saar announced today at the Munich Security Conference the transfer of nearly $500,000 in forfeited Russian funds for the purpose of providing aid to Ukraine. Sat, 17 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-transfers-approximately-500000-forfeited-russian-funds-estonia-benefit https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-civil-forfeiture-complaint-against-300-million-superyacht The United States today filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the Southern District of New York against the motor yacht Amadea – a 348-foot luxury vessel purchased for more than $300 million and beneficially owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov  Mon, 23 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-civil-forfeiture-complaint-against-300-million-superyacht https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/western-union-remission-fund-distributes-approximately-40m-victims-united-states-and-abroad The Justice Department today announced that the Western Union Remission Fund began a distribution of approximately $40 million in funds forfeited to the United States from the Western Union Company (Western Union) to approximately 25,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims stand to recover the full amount of their losses. Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/western-union-remission-fund-distributes-approximately-40m-victims-united-states-and-abroad https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-first-criminal-resolution-involving-illicit-sale-and-transport The Justice Department announced today the successful disruption of a multimillion-dollar shipment of crude oil by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, that was bound for another country. Fri, 08 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-first-criminal-resolution-involving-illicit-sale-and-transport https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readout-russian-elites-proxies-and-oligarchs-repo-task-force-deputies-meeting-0 Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Marshall Miller and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo convened deputies of the REPO Task Force to enhance sanctions enforcement efforts and bolster ongoing oligarch asset forfeiture initiatives. Thu, 07 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readout-russian-elites-proxies-and-oligarchs-repo-task-force-deputies-meeting-0 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readout-assistant-attorney-general-kenneth-polite-jrs-trip-colombia From June 20 to 23, Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to meet with Colombian counterparts, law enforcement partners, and Criminal Division personnel assigned to U.S. Embassy Bogotá to discuss law enforcement efforts between the two countries and advance the bilateral relationship with Colombia. Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readout-assistant-attorney-general-kenneth-polite-jrs-trip-colombia https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/principal-deputy-assistant-attorney-general-nicole-m-argentieri-delivers-remarks-camden Wed, 03 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/principal-deputy-assistant-attorney-general-nicole-m-argentieri-delivers-remarks-camden https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/associate-sanctioned-oligarch-indicted-sanctions-evasion-and-money-laundering A federal court in New York unsealed an indictment today charging a citizen of the Russian Federation and legal permanent resident of the United States, with participating in a scheme to make over $4 million in U.S. dollar payments to maintain four real properties in the United States that were owned by Viktor Vekselberg, a sanctioned oligarch, as well as to attempt to sell two of those properties. Tue, 07 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/associate-sanctioned-oligarch-indicted-sanctions-evasion-and-money-laundering https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-met-ukrainian-prosecutor-general-andriy-kostin Fri, 03 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-met-ukrainian-prosecutor-general-andriy-kostin https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/uk-businessman-graham-bonham-carter-indicted-sanctions-evasion-benefitting-russian-oligarch A U.K. national was arrested today for conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions imposed on Russian Oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska and wire fraud in connection with funding U.S. properties purchased by Deripaska and efforts to expatriate Deripaska’s artwork in the United States through misrepresentations. Tue, 11 Oct 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/uk-businessman-graham-bonham-carter-indicted-sanctions-evasion-benefitting-russian-oligarch https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-total-distribution-over-4-billion-victims-madoff-ponzi-scheme The Department of Justice announced today that the Madoff Victim Fund (MVF) began its eighth distribution of approximately $372 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. government in connection with the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (BLMIS) fraud scheme. Wed, 28 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-total-distribution-over-4-billion-victims-madoff-ponzi-scheme https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-obtains-warrant-seizure-45-million-airplane-owned-russian-energy-company-pjsc The United States obtained a warrant to seize a Boeing 737-7EM aircraft owned by PJSC LUKOIL, a Russian multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-obtains-warrant-seizure-45-million-airplane-owned-russian-energy-company-pjsc https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-will-return-approximately-686000-forfeited-corruption-proceeds-republic The Department of Justice is sharing approximately $686,000 in forfeited criminal proceeds to the Republic of Peru linked to the corruption and bribery of former Peruvian President Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (Toledo) by Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a Brazil-based global construction conglomerate. Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-will-return-approximately-686000-forfeited-corruption-proceeds-republic https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/12-million-be-returned-romanian-government-victim-international-tax-fraud-and-money The Department of Justice announced today that more than $1.2 million in forfeited funds from an international tax fraud and money laundering case will be returned to the government of Romania. The funds are the proceeds of the sale of property located in the State of Washington that were owned by a Romanian couple who were extradited back to Romania at the request of the Romanian government. Fri, 26 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/12-million-be-returned-romanian-government-victim-international-tax-fraud-and-money https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-enters-agreement-nigeria-repatriate-over-23-million-assets-stolen-former The United States, through the Department of Justice and FBI, forfeited approximately $23 million traceable to the corruption and money laundering of former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his co-conspirators. This money will be returned to the Nigerian people through an agreement between the Governments of the United States and the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Nigeria) signed today in Abuja, Nigeria, by U.S. Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard. This repatriation will bring the total amount forfeited and returned by the Department of Justice in this case to approximately $334.7 million.  Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-enters-agreement-nigeria-repatriate-over-23-million-assets-stolen-former https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-obtains-warrant-seizure-airplane-sanctioned-russian-oligarch-andrei-skoch-worth The United States of America has been authorized to seize an Airbus A319-100 (the Airbus) owned and controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrei Skoch, pursuant to a seizure warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which found that the airplane is subject to seizure and forfeiture based on probable cause of violation of the federal anti-money laundering laws. Mon, 08 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-obtains-warrant-seizure-airplane-sanctioned-russian-oligarch-andrei-skoch-worth https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-phase-two-compensation-process-western-union-fraud-victims The Department of Justice announced today that it has begun phase two of the remission compensation process to provide recovery for Western Union fraud victims. Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-phase-two-compensation-process-western-union-fraud-victims https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-additional-distribution-approximately-92-million-victims-fifa The Department of Justice announced today a further distribution of approximately $92 million in compensation for losses suffered by FIFA, the world organizing body of soccer; CONCACAF, the confederation responsible for soccer governance in North and Central America, among other jurisdictions; CONMEBOL, the confederation responsible for soccer governance in South America; and various constituent national soccer federations (collectively, the “Victims”). Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-additional-distribution-approximately-92-million-victims-fifa https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/russian-elites-proxies-and-oligarchs-task-force-joint-statement The Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) Task Force has leveraged extensive multilateral coordination to block or freeze more than $30 billion worth of sanctioned Russians’ assets, freeze or seize sanctioned persons’ high-value goods, and heavily restrict sanctioned Russians’ access to the international financial system. Wed, 29 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/russian-elites-proxies-and-oligarchs-task-force-joint-statement https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-obtains-warrant-seizure-two-airplanes-russian-oligarch-roman-abramovich-worth The United States of America has been authorized to seize a Boeing 787-8 aircraft and a Gulfstream G650ER aircraft owned and controlled by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, pursuant to a seizure warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which found that the airplanes are subject to seizure and forfeiture based on probable cause of violations of the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) and the recent sanctions issued against Russia. Mon, 06 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-obtains-warrant-seizure-two-airplanes-russian-oligarch-roman-abramovich-worth https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-forfeiture-maryland-property-purchased-35-million-alleged The Department of Justice, pursuant to a court-ordered default judgment and final order of forfeiture entered on May 24, has secured the forfeiture of a Potomac, Maryland, property acquired with approximately $3.5 million in alleged corruption proceeds by the former President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia, through a trust set up by his wife, Zineb Jammeh. Thu, 26 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-forfeiture-maryland-property-purchased-35-million-alleged https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/glencore-entered-guilty-pleas-foreign-bribery-and-market-manipulation-schemes Tue, 24 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/glencore-entered-guilty-pleas-foreign-bribery-and-market-manipulation-schemes