NEW YORK (Reuters) – An alleged Russian intelligence agent was charged with violating U.S. sanctions and money laundering by purchasing two condominiums in Beverly Hills, California, and concealing his involvement, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said on Wednesday.
Andrii Derkach, who is at large, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2020 for being an active Russian agent for over a decade.
The indictment unsealed on Wednesday said that since 2013 Derkach has used overseas accounts in Latvia and Switzerland belonging to companies registered in the British Virgin Islands to pay for the purchase and maintenance of the properties.
Reuters could not immediately reach him for comment.
The charges come as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to use criminal charges and asset seizures targeting powerful Russian individuals to pressure Moscow to halt its invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin calls its activities in Ukraine a “special military operation.”
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)
