US Gets Warrant to Seize Russian Oligarch Airbus

The investigation was coordinated through the DOJ’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an inter-agency law enforcement group dedicated to enforcing sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine.

The United States of America today was authorized to seize an Airbus A319-100 owned and controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrei Skoch. The warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found that the airplane is subject to seizure and forfeiture based on probable cause of violation of the federal anti-money laundering laws. The seizure was made possible in part by Executive Orders Issued by the President of the United States, aka Joe Biden, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control or OFAC.

It’s just the latest example of successful maneuvering by the ‘get tough on criminals’ Biden Administration – “Russia, if you’re listening” which, critics note, is in stark contrast to the former administration’s Republican-endorsed pandering to Russia and its state sanctioned hackers. Russia are you listening now?

“Skoch is the beneficial owner of the Airbus through a series of shell companies and trusts tied to his romantic partner. After OFAC designated Skoch in or about April 2018 and continuing through in or about at least in or about 2021, U.S. dollar transactions were made to pay for the registration of the Airbus in Aruba and for aviation insurance premiums for the Airbus, each of which was a necessary expense to maintain and operate the Airbus. The Airbus bearing tail number P4-MGU and serial number 5445, is believed to be worth more than $90 million, The Department of Justice said today.

The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2 and run out of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Naftalis and Nicholas S. Bradley for the Southern District of New York are in charge of the investigation.