The US Department of Justice announced on Thursday that charges have been filed against Dimitri Simes, a Russian-born US citizen and former adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Simes is accused of working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds from his involvement.
The first indictment alleges that Simes and his wife took part in a scheme to help Channel One Russia to bypass sanctions implemented by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on May 8, 2022, for being under the control of or acting on behalf of the Russian government.
The indictment also alleges that the couple laundered more than $1 million and received perks, including a personal car and driver for their work with Russia’s Channel One, beginning in June 2022.
The second indictment accuses Anastasia Simes, Dimitri’s wife, of participating in a scheme to violate US sanctions for the benefit of sanctioned Russian oligarch Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov. Udodov was sanctioned in February 2023 for his involvement in Russia’s management consulting sector. Since then, Anastasia and others allegedly purchased art and antiques from US and European galleries for Udodov, storing them in her Virginia home before shipping them to Russia. In return, Anastasia Simes reportedly received reimbursements and service fees, while laundering money to conceal these illegal transactions. Photos of the items stored in their residence included as evidence.
Simes and the Washington think tank he led, the Center for the National Interest, played a key role in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible Trump campaign ties. The report highlighted Simes’ interactions with Trump’s inner circle, including Jared Kushner. Before one meeting, Simes sent Kushner a letter outlining talking points on Russia for Trump and shared negative information about Bill Clinton, which was later passed along to the campaign.
These indictments come amid growing concerns about Russia’s attempts to interfere in the upcoming US election through online disinformation and propaganda. Federal authorities charged two RT employees on Wednesday with secretly funding a Tennessee company that produced pro-Russian content.
In the statement announcing the charges, US Attorney Matthew M. Graves said:
These defendants allegedly violated sanctions that were put in place in response to Russia’s illegal aggression in Ukraine, . . . 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.
