On September 13, 2023, Sergey Karpushkin, a citizen of Belarus residing in the United States, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”), and to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 USC § 371.
According to the court documents, between 2017 and 2020, Karpushkin and co-conspirators purchased metal products worth over $139 million from companies owned or controlled by Sergey Kurchenko, a Russian citizen sanctioned by the United States in 2015 for participating in the misappropriation of assets belonging to Ukraine, following the Russian invasion of Crimea.
In conjunction with his plea agreement, Karpushkin agreed to forfeit $4,723,625 pursuant to 18 USC § 981(a)(1)(C) and 28 USC § 2461(c). The amount represents proceeds that Karpushkin admitted to having obtained as a result of the conspiracy.
DOJ press release | Plea agreement | Information | Complaint