U.S. Justice Department Seizes Two Miami Condos for Violating Russia-Related Sanctions

The Department of Justice has made an announcement today stating that it has successfully obtained the forfeiture of two luxurious Miami condominiums. This comes as a result of a court-ordered default judgment and final order of forfeiture that was entered on January 7. These condos were found to be in violation of U.S. sanctions against Russian national Viktor Perevalov as they were being maintained, transferred, and leased illegally. The total value of these forfeited properties amounts to approximately $1.8 million.

The United States filed a civil forfeiture complaint in February 2024, aiming to seize the properties. The judgment has now been issued as a result of this legal action.

Co-Director Michael Khoo of the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture emphasized the significance of the recent forfeiture, highlighting that attempting to conceal assets through nominees and shell companies comes with substantial long-term consequences. He praised the prosecutors and agents involved in the investigation and prosecution, underscoring the United States’ commitment to robustly enforcing its sanctions programs.

According to the complaint, Viktor Perevalov and Valeri Abramov co-founded VAD, AO, a construction company based in Russia. The company was responsible for building the Tavrida Highway in the Russian-occupied Crimea Region of Ukraine. On January 26, 2018, Victor Perevalov, Valeri Abramov, VAD, AO, and others were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under Executive Order 13685, following the Russian invasion of Crimea. Perevalov, Abramov, and VAD, AO were added to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List by OFAC. It is important to note that no license was ever issued by OFAC, which was a requirement for anyone to engage in transactions with Perevalov and Abramov. Furthermore, Perevalov was re-designated by OFAC on December 18, 2024, under E.O. 14024, for his involvement in the construction sector of the Russian economy.

Between January 2018 and March 2023, there were violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in the maintenance, transfer, and leasing of the condominiums. In June 2018, a Miami real estate agent, who was hired to manage the properties, transferred Perevalov’s two condominiums to a limited liability company with the intention of concealing Perevalov’s ownership. Despite the transfer, the properties were still leased, and the proceeds from the rentals were used for their upkeep.

The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office, with assistance from the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department.

The civil action was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Paster, Marx P. Calderón, and Eli Rubin from the Southern District of Florida, along with Trial Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Lindsay Gorman from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Trial Attorney Joshua E. Kurland from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

This case was part of a coordinated effort led by the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture. The task force is an interagency law enforcement team dedicated to enforcing the comprehensive sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that have been imposed by the United States and its foreign allies and partners in response to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

The Attorney General announced the task force on March 2, 2022, and it operates under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. The task force will continue to utilize all of the Department’s tools and authorities to combat attempts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

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