**How a Russian oligarch bought a luxurious life in New York, prosecutors say**
By **Rebecca Davis O’Brien** and **Benjamin Weiser**
April 23, 2023
**NEW YORK —** In the years after the Soviet Union collapsed, Vladislav Klyushin, a furniture maker from Siberia, set his sights on creating a new life for himself in the United States.
Through a series of shrewd investments, Klyushin amassed a vast fortune that allowed him to indulge in a life of luxury, prosecutors say. He bought a $4.2 million penthouse on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a $2.3 million mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a $1.3 million vacation home in the Hamptons.
But Klyushin’s lavish lifestyle was built on a foundation of fraud, prosecutors allege. In a federal indictment unsealed on Thursday, Klyushin is accused of conspiring to launder hundreds of millions of dollars through a network of shell companies and offshore accounts.
The indictment is the latest in a series of actions by the Justice Department targeting Russian oligarchs who have allegedly used their wealth to corrupt the U.S. financial system and gain access to the American political system.
Klyushin, who is 53, is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud and bank fraud. He is also charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which prohibits U.S. citizens from doing business with certain sanctioned countries, including Russia.
According to the indictment, Klyushin began laundering money in 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Crimea. He allegedly used a network of shell companies to move money out of Russia and into the United States.
The indictment alleges that Klyushin used some of the laundered money to buy his luxury properties. He also allegedly used the money to fund his political activities, including donations to Republican candidates.
Klyushin was arrested in Switzerland in March 2022. He was extradited to the United States in January and has been in federal custody ever since.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to go on trial in June.
If convicted, Klyushin faces up to 20 years in prison.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.
**Update:** On April 25, 2023, Klyushin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 28, 2023..
