Federal agents raid the homes of Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg

Federal agents searched properties allegedly linked to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg Thursday, according to a new report from NBC New York. 

The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the New York Police Department were seen searching two New York properties linked to the billionaire ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC New York reported.

The agents and detectives were spotted carrying boxes during the search of properties in Manhattan and Southampton, N.Y., and another search is reportedly also underway in Miami, according to the outlet.

The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the New York Police Department did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Hill.

Vekselberg has been sanctioned by the U.S. since 2018. Spanish police and FBI agents seized his $90 million superyacht in April after the Department of Justice alleged bank fraud, money laundering and sanction statues had been violated.

The oligarch “used shell companies to obfuscate his interest in the Tango to avoid bank oversight,” the Justice Department investigation alleged.

Along with a number of other Russian elites, Vekselberg was hit with new Treasury Department sanctions earlier this year after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine. 

Vekselberg, who leads the conglomerate company Renova Group, has a net worth of more than $6 billion and financial interests spanning multiple sectors of the Russian economy, according to the Treasury Department. 

Vekselberg has close ties to Putin and other Moscow leaders and “has taken part in Russian diplomatic and soft power activities on behalf of the Kremlin,” according to the department.