New York’s Southern District Attorney’s Office has announced criminal charges against 70-year-old Russian citizen Vladimir Voronchenko, who helped hide and maintain oligarch Viktor Vekselberg’s elite real estate assets in the United States.
Voronchenko is charged with criminal conspiracy to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), conspiracy to commit international money laundering and laundering silver. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The charging documents state that Voronchenko “established himself as a successful businessman, collector and art dealer, as well as a close friend and business partner of Viktor Vekselberg”, and that he had a license to permanent residence in the United States and lived several times. in New York, York, Southampton and Fisher Island (Florida).
Between 2008 and 2017, Viktor Vekselberg, through a series of shell companies, acquired a number of expensive properties in the United States: an apartment on Park Avenue in New York; an estate in Southampton, New York; and two apartments in Miami, Florida. At the time of the indictment, the property was valued at approximately $75 million.
On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Vekselberg, and on March 11, 2022, Vekselberg fell under additional sanctions for illegal activities in the interest of Vladimir Putin.
Due to these sanctions, Vekselberg’s mega-yacht and personal plane were blocked.
According to Forbes magazine, in 2023, Vekselberg’s assets are worth around $5.3 billion.
Vladimir Voronchenko hired a lawyer in the United States to handle Vekselberg’s real estate transactions and also took care of all financial matters related to this property. He is accused of receiving more than $4 million to maintain four properties owned by Vekselberg. Moreover, Voronchenko tried to sell these two items.
Voronchenko was also charged with contempt of court in connection with his flight from the United States – he fled after receiving a subpoena. On May 13, 2022, federal agents served Vladimir Voronchenko with a subpoena requiring him to appear in person to testify before a grand jury on Fisher Island, Florida. However, 9 days later – May 22 – Voronchenko flew from Miami to Dubai, and from there to Moscow. He never returned to the United States and did not testify.
