WASHINGTON, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday said it had charged Virginia-based Russian television contributor Dimitri Simes and his wife Anastasia Simes with two separate schemes to violate U.S. sanctions.
In one of two indictments, Simes and his wife are accused of laundering funds and violating U.S. sanctions for the benefit of Channel One Russia, a Russian broadcasting station that was sanctioned in May 2022.
In exchange for providing services as a presenter and producer, prosecutors alleged that Simes and his wife received over $1 million, a personal car and driver, a stipend for an apartment in Moscow and a team of 10 employees from Channel One Russia.
In a second indictment, Anastasia Simes is charged with violating sanctions to benefit Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, a Russian oligarch who was sanctioned in February 2023. She is accused of purchasing art and other antiques for Udodov from various galleries and auction houses in the United States and Europe.