On February 22, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed five new counts of bank fraud against Swiss resident Vladislav Osipov, an employee of sanctioned Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, owner of the 77.7-meter motor yacht Tango.
The press release reads “Osipov and his employees instructed the yacht management company to avoid doing business with banks in Tango’s true name. The management company, thereafter, devised a scheme to use a false name for the yacht, “the Fanta,” to hide from financial institutions that payments were ultimately for the benefit of Tango and Vekselberg, a practice to which Osipov and his employees assented.”
Tango is the first motor yacht to be imprisoned by the U.S. government, while Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, at the time of confiscation, adds “the Department of Justice delivers on our commitment to hold accountable those whose criminal activity strengthens the Russian government as it continues to wage its unjust war in Ukraine.”.