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Viktor Vekselberg (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
Yesterday, New York attorney Robert Wise pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money. Wise admitted to the plan on behalf of Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian businessman with strong ties to the Kremlin who has been the subject of sanctions since 2018.
Vekselberg was first subject to sanctions following the annexation of Crimea. As reported by Law.com, Wise admitted to funneling $3.8 million of Vekselberg’s money into real estate in New York and Florida:
Using money that Vekselberg wired through shell companies into Wise’s interest on lawyers’ trust account, Wise made tax and insurance payments on six luxury properties held by Vekselberg that are valued together at about $75 million, according to court filings.
Wise made the payments for a 3,500-square-foot condo at 515 Park Avenue that was previously listed at $14.6 million by StreetEasy, a nine-bedroom Southampton estate, and two apartments and a penthouse on Fisher Island, Florida.
Wise, who was retained by Vekselberg associate Vladimir Voronchecnko, also managed financial affairs for the properties.
Those properties are now the subject of a civil forfeiture lawsuit.
The legal action against Wise is part of the federal government’s focus on sanctions against Russian citizens:
“Admission to the bar carries with it a public trust that attorneys will act with honesty and integrity—a trust that Robert Wise chose to betray in exchange for an easy, illicit paycheck. The Task Force will continue to pursue those who have made the same poor decision,” said Andrew Adams, director of the interagency Task Force KleptoCapture, which was formed last year to be the tip of the spear for U.S. sanctions against Russian citizens, in a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Wise faces up tp five years in prison. He will be sentenced on November 6th.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
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