Feds move to seize Russian billionaire’s $90 million private jet

Federal prosecutors obtained a warrant to seize a $90 million jet owned by Russian billionaire and politician Andrei Skoch, who has been subject to sanctions since 2018.

Skoch, whose net worth is pegged at $6.2 billion by Forbes, is the beneficial owner of the Airbus A319-100 through several shell companies linked to his romantic partner, according to the order.

The Treasury Department originally sanctioned him in April 2018 because of his “long-standing ties to Russian organized crime groups, including time spent leading one of those companies.”

A judge authorized an order to seize Russian billionaire Andrei Skoch’s $90 million Airbus A319-100.
(US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York)

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Treasury Department slapped it with additional sanctions for “support[ing] the Kremlin’s efforts to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

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Skoch has a significant stake in USM Holdings Limited, a Russian company with assets in the metals, mining and telecommunications industries, according to the order.

“Today’s action shows that the U.S. government will be relentless in our efforts to bring to justice those who are enabling Putin’s hateful war against Ukraine,” Commerce Under Secretary for Exports said Monday , Matthew S. Axelrod in a statement.

Skoch also owns a 324-foot, $156 million yacht that has been marked as blocked property by the Treasury Department.

The investigation was led by Task Force KleptoCapture, the Justice Department’s interagency operation that is applying sweeping sanctions against the Russian economy and officials close to the Kremlin in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

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“The sanctions imposed by the US government and the work of this task force show these offensively wealthy oligarchs who support Russia’s military aggression that they are not untouchable, and we are dramatically affecting their way of life.” , said the FBI’s deputy director. Michael J. Driscoll said in a statement.