LOC22:35
19:35 GMT
WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (KUNA) -- The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday the unsealing of an indictment charging a US citizen and three Russian citizens with "violating new US sanctions imposed earlier this year in response to Russiaآ’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine."
The DOJ said in a statement that according to court documents, Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Natalia Bardakova, as well as Olga Shriki, a naturalized US citizen, are charged with "conspiring to violate US sanctions imposed on Deripaska and one of Deripaskaآ’s corporate entities, Basic Element Limited (Basic Element)."
It indicated that Shriki, who was arrested this morning, is further charged with "obstruction of justice based on her alleged deletion of electronic records relating to her participation in Deripaskaآ’s sanctions evasion scheme following receipt of a grand jury subpoena requiring the production of those records," whereas Bardakova is charged with "one count with making false statements to agents of the FBI."
Additionally, Ekaterina Voronina is charged with "making false statements to agents of the US Department of Homeland Security at the time of Voroninaآ’s attempted entry into the United States."
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in this regard "in the wake of Russiaآ’s unjust and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, I promised the American people that the Justice Department would work to hold accountable those who break our laws and threaten our national security. Todayآ’s charges demonstrate we are keeping that promise."
He stressed that the DOJ "will not stop working to identify, find, and bring to justice those who evade US sanctions in order to enable the Russian regime."
For her part, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said "as todayآ’s charges reveal, while serving the Russian state and energy sector, Oleg Deripaska sought to circumvent US sanctions through lies and deceit to cash in on and benefit from the American way of life."
She stressed that "shell companies and webs of lies will not shield Deripaska and his cronies from American law enforcement, nor will they protect others who support the Putin regime."
"The Department of Justice remains dedicated to the global fight against those who aid and abet the Russian war machine," she continued.
Furthermore, FBI Director Christopher Wray said "we will continue to aggressively prosecute those who violate measures imposed to protect the national security and foreign policy of the United States, especially in this time of Russiaآ’s unprovoked aggression toward Ukraine."
In 2018, Deripaska was subjected to economic sanctions and was designated by the Department of the Treasuryآ’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated as a Specially Designated National (SDN). (end)
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