Channel One Russia personality indicted over alleged violations of US sanctions

The U.S. Justice Department unsealed two indictments Thursday against a Russian-born U.S. citizen, Dimitri Simes, 76, who was an adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and his wife, Anastasia Simes, 55, over separate schemes alleged to have violated U.S. sanctions.
In the first indictment, the couple were cited for their involvement in an arrangement that had Dimitri working for a U.S.-sanctioned, Russian state-owned television station and the couple covering up over $1 million in payments from the station.
Dimitri worked as a presenter and producer at Channel One Russia, which was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in May 2022. The news outlet was sanctioned “for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, the government of the Russian Federation,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
In exchange for his work at the sanctioned station, the department said, Dimitri received over $1 million, a personal car and driver, and a stipend for an apartment in Moscow. His work at the station was also supported by a team of 10 Channel One Russia employees.
Dimitri’s work and compensation, from around June 2022 to the present, violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Justice Department said.
“The indictment alleges that Dimitri and Anastasia Simes also engaged in a scheme to commit money laundering, knowing the transactions were intended to conceal the proceeds of IEEPA violations,” the department said.
Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA, one count of violating IEEPA and one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering. They face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count if convicted.
The couple, who remain at large, have residences in Huntly, Virginia, and in Moscow. The Justice Department said the Simeses are likely in Russia.
Anastasia is facing additional charges in another scheme that the Justice Department said violated IEEPA. It said she received funds from sanctioned Russian oligarch Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov to buy art and antiques for Udovov’s galleries and auction house in the U.S. and Europe.
The items were shipped to and stored at the couple’s home in Huntly and were eventually shipped to Russia. The Justice Department said Anastasia engaged in money laundering to mask the IEEPA violations.
In this second indictment, Anastasia is facing one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA, one count of violating IEEPA and one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison upon conviction.
Udodov was sanctioned in February 2023 for operating or having operated in the management consulting sector of the Russian Federation economy.