An alleged Russian agent, accused of participating in an attempted interference with the 2020 US election, was charged in the United States on Wednesday with fraud and money laundering in connection with the purchase of luxury apartments in California.
“This Kremlin shill has been sanctioned for attempting to poison democracy by demonstrating that he is willing and able to exploit the banking system for his illicit purposes,” said Brooklyn district attorney Breon.
According to US justice, Andreï Derkach hid his identity when he bought two apartments in Beverly Hills, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, in 2013 for $3.9 million.
“Active Russian Agent”
He had already been sanctioned by Washington in September 2020 for trying to “discredit” Joe Biden, then presidential candidate, in the context of “foreign interference in an attempt to undermine the presidential election.”
Washington regards Andrei Derkach, a wealthy pro-Russian member of the Ukrainian parliament, as an “active Russian agent.”
With the help of his wife Oksana Terekhova, he is said to have created various fictitious companies and accounts using fictitious people to hide his identity when buying real estate, used by his family and in particular by his daughter, who lived in one of the apartments, according to the accusation
The Justice Department said it seized the two residences before issuing sanctions against Derkach in 2020, which included freezing all of his assets in the United States.
Source: BFM TV
