(PresidentialHill.com)- Last Wednesday, the Justice Department announced that new criminal charges have been filed against Andrii Derkach, a sanctioned Ukrainian politician with ties to Russian intelligence.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and the DOJ’s KleptoCapture task force hit Derkach with new criminal charges for allegedly purchasing two Beverly Hills condominiums and concealing his interest in the transactions.
Derkach, a member of Ukraine’s Parliament who was labeled by US authorities as a Russian agent, allegedly sought to influence the 2020 presidential election when he met with Rudy Giuliani to provide information about Joe Biden.
Last week in a 7-count indictment, Derkach was charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of money laundering for allegedly purchasing two California properties in violation of US sanctions imposed earlier this year.
In announcing the charges, US Attorney Breon Peace reiterated that the United States would not be “a safe haven” for criminals, oligarchs, or sanctioned individuals to “hide their ill-gotten gains or influence our elections.”
KleptoCapture director Andrew Adams blasted Derkach for hypocritically attempting to “undermine American democracy” while simultaneously “seeking to benefit from its protections.”
Derkach, who remains at large, is a member of the pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.
According to the complaint, he allegedly plotted to purchase and maintain two luxury condos in Beverly Hills while concealing his interest in the purchases from US financial institutions.
If convicted, he will face up to 30 years in prison.
US Treasury officials had previously accused Durkach of controlling two websites that spread disinformation about US officials.
In 2019, Rudy Giuliani, along with OAN news reporter Chanel Rion, traveled to Ukraine where they met with Derkach. In addition to sitting down for an interview, Derkach gave Giuliani documents purportedly related to Joe Biden’s corruption in Ukraine.
Federal prosecutors in New York looked into Giuliani’s activities in Ukraine, but earlier this year, decided not to file criminal charges.
