US Opens Forfeiture Case on Russian Oligarch's 'Superyacht'
The U.S. filed a forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against a 348-foot superyacht allegedly owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, DOJ announced Oct. 23. The vessel, worth more than $300 million, was seized in 2022 in Fiji following a U.S. request for mutual legal assistance. The yacht was "improved and maintained in violation of" sanctions on Kerimov and "those acting on his behalf," DOJ alleged.
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The Amadea is forfeitable under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and money laundering charges, the complaint said. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Kerimov in April 2018 in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Following his listing, Kerimov bought the Amadea, gaining beneficial ownership in September 2021 through a set of transfers between shell companies to hide his ownership, DOJ said.
The complaint said from October 2021 until the yacht's seizure, Kerimov and individuals acting on his behalf "accrued U.S. dollar-denominated costs for the Amadea's upkeep and sent or caused to be sent through the U.S. financial systems, payments in violation of applicable sanctions." The ship is under U.S. control in San Diego (see 2206280015).
The case stems from the work of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency group created to enforce U.S. sanctions on Russia. Michael Khoo, task force co-director, said the complaint "required extensive cooperation across the U.S. government and with foreign partners" and "underscores our resolve to undertake challenging, cross-border investigations" involving Russia.