A British businessman has been arrested on suspicion of helping a Russian oligarch evade US sanctions.
Graham Bonham-Carter is alleged to have helped billionaire Oleg Deripaska move his artwork out of America and made payments to maintain his US properties, prosecutors claim.
Mr Deripaska has been under US sanctions since 2018 for alleged links to the Russian government.
But last year prosecutors say Mr Bonham-Carter transferred over $1m to pay for the upkeep of three US properties owned by Mr Deripaska.
The 62-year-old also allegedly tried to transfer artwork from a New York auction house to London “through misrepresentations concealing Deripaska’s ownership of the artwork”.
The charges were detailed in a US Department of Justice statement.
Mr Bonham-Carter, second cousin of actress Helena Bonham Carter, was arrested in the UK – but American prosecutors are seeking his extradition.
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He faces three charges: conspiring to evade US sanctions; violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; and wire fraud.
Each carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years.
The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) said Mr Bonham-Carter had appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after the extradition request and had been released on conditional bail.
“Bonham-Carter is believed to be linked to Deripaska through a number of high-value properties in the United States and in the UK – all suspected to be ultimately held for Deripaska’s benefit,” said the NCA in a statement.
Mr Deripaska, who founded aluminium company Rusal, was also charged last month, along with three others, for allegedly violating new US sanctions imposed over Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The charges included employing a woman to sell a California music studio on his behalf and trying to have his girlfriend travel to the US to give birth to his child.
All of Mr Deripaska’s assets in the UK have been frozen, as have two accounts held by Mr Bonham-Carter suspected of being used to launder money for the billionaire.
In March, protesters occupied a house in central London they said belonged to Mr Deripaska. However, he claimed it was owned by family members and not him.
Western nations have imposed a raft of sanctions on wealthy and influential figures suspected of being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s regime in a bid to exert pressure over the Ukraine invasion.
