Feds raid Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg’s NYC apartment
The Manhattan apartment and Southampton mansion of a Russian
oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin were raided by federal
agents on Thursday, according to the FBI and a report.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed agents “conducted law
enforcement activity” at the Upper East Side high-rise and Long Island estate
linked to billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, but declined to comment further.
FBI officials and Homeland Security Investigation agents
were seen carrying boxes out of Vekselberg’s 515 Park Ave. apartment building
and his Southampton mansion at 19 Duck Pond Lane, according to NBC New York, which
first reported the searches.
The US has imposed strict sanctions on a number of Russian
oligarchs — including Vekselberg — since Putin invaded Ukraine in February.
In April, the feds seized an enormous, $90 million yacht
dubbed Tango from Vekselberg while it was docked in a Spanish port.
Vekselberg’s other assets in the US, including a $90 million
jet, have also been frozen. American companies are barred from doing business
with Vekselberg, who raked in billions by investing in energy and metals in
Russia.
The embattled oligarch is under investigation for alleged
bank fraud, but Thursday’s searches are unrelated to those allegations, NBC
reported.
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