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FBI searches D.C. and New York homes of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska

Washington — Agents with the FBI conducted "law enforcement activity" Tuesday at a Washington, D.C., home belonging to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a U.S. official told CBS News.

A source familiar with the investigation said later in the day that investigators were also searching a second residence in New York's Greenwich Village belonging to Deripaska. Both searches were said to be part of an ongoing investigation in New York. The search in Washington was first reported by NBC News.

The Russian billionaire is believed to have close links to the Kremlin and rose to prominence during former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election for his links to Paul Manafort.

Manafort, a former chairman of former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, was one of several charged as part of Mueller's probe for his consulting work in Ukraine. During federal court proceedings in the Justice Department's case against Manafort, documents revealed he received a $10 million loan from Deripaska in 2005.

A federal agent stands in front of the home of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 in Washington. / Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
A federal agent stands in front of the home of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 in Washington. / Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

Deripaska, an aluminum magnate, and several companies he controls were also among a group of more than three dozen Russian officials and entities hit with sweeping sanctions by the Trump administration in 2018. The Treasury Department said at the time he was sanctioned for "having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of" a senior Russian government official, as well as for his work in Russia's energy sector.

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According to the Treasury Department, he was investigated for money laundering and was accused of threatening business rivals' lives, illegally wiretapping a government official and participating in extortion and racketeering. The Trump administration also cited allegations that Deripaska "bribed a government official, ordered the murder of a businessman, and had links to a Russian organized crime group."

In 2019, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on three companies connected to Deripaska after an attempt by Congress to block the move failed. The sanctions on Deripaska, however, remained in place.

Andres Triay contributed to this report.

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