Attorney pleads guilty to aiding sanctioned Russian oligarch
By 
Adrianne Appel2023-04-27T20:12:00
A New York attorney faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to making payments to maintain U.S. properties secretly owned by a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
Robert Wise was retained by Vladimir Voronchenko—an associate of Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian oligarch sanctioned by the United States in April 2018—to acquire luxury properties in the United States, according an information filed Tuesday by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Southern District of New York.
Between 2008 and 2017, Vekselberg obtained the properties by going through shell companies. Wise managed their finances, including paying insurance and property taxes, the DOJ said. The payments for the properties were taken from interest earned on Wise’s lawyer’s trust account, also called an IOLTA account.
Related articles
-
News BriefPURE Insurance to pay $466K in OFAC sanctions case
Insurance organization Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange agreed to pay $466,200 as part of a settlement with the Office of Foreign Assets Control addressing alleged sanctioned transactions on behalf of designated Ukrainian-Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.
-
News BriefSEC: Investment adviser to sanctioned Russian oligarch failed to register
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against New York-based Concord Management and its owner for operating as an unregistered investment adviser to a lone client: a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
-
PremiumABA resolution latest effort to separate lawyers from clients’ crimes
Under increasing pressure from federal lawmakers and regulators, the American Bar Association agreed to strengthen the obligations lawyers must meet when weighing whether to stop representing clients who might be using their services to commit financial crimes.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleFormer startup CEO gets 7 years in prison for $175M fraud against JPMorgan Chase
Charlie Javice, a former CEO who duped JPMorgan Chase into purchasing her start up company for $175 million, has been ordered to forfeit more than $22 million by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and to spend 7 years in jail.
-
ArticleGeorgia Tech to pay $875,000 for allegations brought by compliance officers
Georgia Tech Research Corp. (GTRC) has agreed to pay $875,000 to settle allegations first raised by two compliance officers that its cybersecurity protocols violated acceptable standards for defense contractors, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
-
ArticleTractor Supply Company hit with $1.35M fine for alleged California privacy violations
Tractor Supply Company has agreed to get into compliance with California’s consumer privacy law and to pay a $1.35 million fine—the largest yet by California—to settle allegations it violated the privacy rights of customers and job applicants.