A Russia-born U.S. citizen with a home in rural Virginia, and with close ties to ex-president Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, among others in Republican Party circles, is facing charges related to his work for Russian state TV.
Dimitri Simes, 76, and Anastasia Simes, 55, both of Huntly, Va., an unincorporated town in Rappahannock County, on the other side of the Blue Ridge from Front Royal, have been indicted in two separate schemes to violate U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.
The first indictment lays out a scheme to violate sanctions imposed on a number of Russian entities after the launch of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Justice Department, in the indictment, alleges that the Simeses received more than $1 million, a personal car and driver, a stipend for an apartment in Moscow, and a team of 10 employees from Channel One Russia in return for their work with the TV network.
A second indictment alleges that Anastasia Simes received funds from Russian businessman Alexander Udodov, who was sanctioned last year. Udodov, the former brother-in-law of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, has been linked to business dealings with both, and he has also been investigated for money laundering.
Per the second indictment, Anastasia Simes and others allegedly participated in a scheme to sidestep U.S. sanctions by purchasing art and antiques for the benefit of Udovov from galleries and auction houses in the United States and Europe, and having the items shipped to her residence in Virginia, where they were stored for onward shipment to Russia.
In return, the DOJ alleges, Anastasia Simes was reimbursed and received a service fee.
Both indictments allege that the couple worked to launder money received as a result of their work with Channel One Russia and the scheme to ship artworks to Udodov.
Dimitri Simes, the former president and CEO of The Center for the National Interest, a Washington, D.C.,-based think tank founded by former president Richard Nixon, was a key player in the Robert Mueller-led investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
In one instance, the Mueller report detailed how Simes, during the 2016 campaign, sent Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a letter spelling out talking points for Trump about Russia, and also passed along derogatory information about former president Bill Clinton that was shared widely with Trump campaign staffers.
The Mueller report also reported on a meeting that Simes and his think tank arranged during the campaign between Trump and Sergei Kislyak, then the Russian ambassador to the U.S.
According to the DOJ, Dimitri and Anastasia Simes, who face decades in prison if convicted on the charges laid out in Thursday’s indictments, are at large and are believed to be in Russia.
Video: Virginia couple indicted in Russia media scheme
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Chris Graham
