U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe | U.S. Department of Justice
The Department of Justice has announced the forfeiture of two luxury condominiums in Miami, valued at approximately $1.8 million, following a court-ordered default judgment and final order of forfeiture issued on January 7. The properties were maintained, transferred, and leased in violation of U.S. sanctions against Russian national Viktor Perevalov.
This legal action stems from a civil forfeiture complaint filed by the United States in February 2024 to seize the properties. Michael Khoo, Co-Director of the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, stated: “Today’s successful forfeiture once again demonstrates that the attempt to hide assets behind nominees and shell companies is a risky short-term game with real long-term costs.”
According to the complaint, Viktor Perevalov and Valeri Abramov co-founded VAD, AO, a construction company responsible for building the Tavrida Highway in Crimea. In January 2018, they were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under Executive Order 13685 after Russia's invasion of Crimea. They were added to OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List.
From January 2018 through March 2023, these condominiums were involved in transactions violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). On June 14, 2018, a Miami real estate agent transferred ownership to an LLC designed to obscure Perevalov’s interest while continuing to lease them.
The FBI Miami Field Office led the investigation with help from Sunny Isles Beach Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Paster, Marx P. Calderón, Eli Rubin; Trial Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Lindsay Gorman; and Trial Attorney Joshua E. Kurland.
Task Force KleptoCapture coordinated this effort as part of its mission to enforce sanctions related to Russia's military actions in Ukraine since 2014.
