A Russian oil tycoon Oleg Deripaska was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York for violating U.S. sanctions against members of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, authorities said Thursday.
Deripaska, a longtime associate of former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, was among two dozen Russian oligarchs and officials sanctioned by the Treasury Department in April 2018.
According to a news release, Deripaska was investigated for money laundering and accused of threat to the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering. He sued the U.S. over the sanctions, but a federal court judge dismissed the case in June. Deripaska appealed the ruling.
The FBI seized the homes linked to Deripaska in Washington and New York a year ago.
In January 2018, NBC News reported that the Russian billionaire had been repeatedly denied a visa to enter the United States because of his alleged links to organized crime.