Miami real estate broker Roman Sinyavsky pleaded guilty today to engaging in a scheme to violate U.S. sanctions and commit money laundering by conducting transactions involving blocked properties owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs Viktor Perevalov and Valeri Abramov.
Perevalov, a constructions executive, was sanctioned in January 2018 for his work in Russia-occupied Crimea. Later that year, Sinyavsky was retained to manage the properties and transferred two condominiums owned by Perevalov to a limited liability company set up to obfuscate Perevalov’s interest in the properties. Following the transfer, the properties continued to be leased, generating proceeds used to maintain them.
The properties, valued approximately $1.8 million were forfeited earlier this month [13296].
As described in court documents, from in or around January 2018 through in or around March 2023, Sinyavsky conspired with others to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and commit money laundering by maintaining, transferring, selling, and leasing several luxury condominiums in the Miami area that Perevalov owned and by collecting, sharing, and using the proceeds to maintain the properties.
Sinyavsky faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. As part of the plea agreement, Sinyavsky agreed to forfeit the proceeds he received from the scheme totaling $182,442.45.
On Feb. 22, 2024, the United States filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleging that two luxury condominiums owned by Perevalov are subject to forfeiture based on the unlawful transactions. On Jan. 6, the court ordered forfeiture of $1.8 million representing the proceeds from the sales of those properties. Abramov’s property was sold in June 2018.
Concurrent with today’s guilty plea, OFAC announced a separate settlement with Sinyavsky and his real estate company Family International Realty LLC in connection with a related, parallel proceeding. Under the terms of that resolution, Sinyavsky and his company have agreed to pay a civil penalty of approximately $1,076,923. In recognition of the amount Sinyavsky has agreed to forfeit in connection with today’s guilty plea, OFAC will credit the forfeiture against its civil penalty.
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