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The FBI swarmed the Washington, DC, mansion of Russian oligarch and Vladimir Putin associate Oleg Deripaska on Tuesday, in what the agency described as court-authorized “law enforcement activity.”
Multiple agents could be seen inside the 53-year-old billionaire’s property, which had been cordoned off with tape.
Some agents were spotted hauling boxes and other items to and from the mansion.
An FBI spokesperson would not say why the raid, which was first reported by NBC News, was being carried out.
They also wouldn’t comment on any potential investigations involving Deripaska.
Deripaska, an aluminum billionaire who is an ally of Russia’s President Putin, has been the subject of US sanctions since 2018.
He was among about two dozen blacklisted by the Trump administration over ties to Putin amid allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
As a result, Deripaska had his US-based assets, including mansions in DC and Manhattan, frozen by the government.
Deripaska had previously sued the US to have the sanctions lifted, but his case was dismissed back in June.
He was mentioned multiple times in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on interference in the 2016 presidential election.
He also had ties to Trump’s ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort, whom he had on his payroll for years. Manafort was convicted of eight financial crimes as part of Mueller’s investigation and was later pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Deripaska’s representative in Moscow has not commented publicly about the FBI raid. Two US-based lawyers who have worked for him could also not be immediately reached for comment when contacted by Reuters. It is unclear where Deripaska is living.
With Post wires
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