The United States Justice Department (DOJ) on Sept. 5 unsealed two indictments against Russian-born U.S. citizens, Dimitri and Anastasia Simes, a married couple charged with violating sanctions against Russia.
Dimitri Simes, once an adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump, works as a presenter for Channel One Russia, a state-run television station sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in May 2022.
The charges come amid a sweeping crackdown on Russian propagandists accused of attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The first indictment alleges that both Dimitri and Anastasia Simes violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by providing services to and accepting over $1 million in payment from Channel One Russia, a sanctioned broadcaster.
The indictment includes a charge of money laundering, since the Simes' financial transactions attempted to conceal the proceeds of sanctions violations. The first indictment contains three separate charges of sanctions violations, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted.
The second indictment charges Anastasia Simes with providing art and antiques to sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexander Udodov.
Simes allegedly purchased the goods on Udodov's behalf from galleries in the U.S. and Europe, then stored the items at her residence in Huntly, Virginia. She eventually shipped them to Russia, collecting a service fee from Udodov in return.
The DOJ alleges that Simes carried out this scheme after Udodov was sanctioned in February 2023.
The second indictment against Anastasia Simes includes three charges, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.
"These defendants allegedly violated sanctions that were put in place in response to Russia's illegal aggression in Ukraine," said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves.
"Such violations harm our national security interests — a fact that Dimitri Simes, with the deep experience he gained in national affairs after fleeing the Soviet Union and becoming a U.S. citizen, should have uniquely appreciated."
Dimitri Simes, a U.S. citizen who left the Soviet Union in 1973, has advised former U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and Trump, and advocated for improved relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His U.S. residence, shared with his wife Anastasia, was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in August 2024.
Dimitri and Anastasia Simes are believed to currently live in Russia.
Abbey Fenbert
