- KleptoCapture is targeting a man who is reportedly among enablers working outside Russia.
- Evgeniy Kochman, CEO of Imperial Yachts, has overseen the flow of billions linked to oligarchs.
- Kochman's firms are under scrutiny as documents show a connection to Russians, The NYT reports.
US task force KleptoCapture has turned its attention to a man who is at the center of an "oligarch-industrial complex," The New York Times reported.
The task force was established in March to target Russian oligarchs in an effort to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to end his unprovoked war in Ukraine.
Two months ago, the head of the task force, Andrew Adams, said it had found evidence of oligarchs attempting to evade sanctions amid intense scrutiny.
The Times reported that Evgeniy Kochman, a Russian businessman and CEO of Imperial Yachts and BLD Management, has overseen the flow of billions of dollars from Russians.
Imperial Yachts supervises all aspects of oligarchs' yachts, including construction, crew, day-to-day operations and chartering or selling the vessel, according to documents, interviews, and intelligence reports seen by the newspaper.
A spokesperson for Imperial Yachts told Insider: "Like all leaders in our business, we have gone through a recent period where the yacht industry has been subjected to inquiries from some authorities, but over the past few months, Imperial Yachts has been targeted by numerous unfounded and inaccurate accusations following events that are unrelated to this family-owned company and its services."
"We are in the yacht building, management, sale and charter business. That is our focus and what we do. We started this company from nothing, and now, it appears that due to our success, we are unfortunately being targeted by those who would like to bring us down," the spokesperson added.
Kochman said in a rare interview in 2016 that "we grow with our clients like parents with babies," referring to his partner, his sister Julia Stewart, and their entry into the world of custom-made superyachts at least 100 ft long.
The task force, as well as the FBI, the Treasury, and other intelligence agencies are gathering evidence targeting enablers working outside of Russia who have aided sanctioned individuals.
Adams told the NYT that "targeting people who make their living by providing a means for money laundering is a key priority."
Evidence found aboard the superyacht Amadea, whose seizure is being challenged, shows the role Kochman's company plays in managing the oligarchs' requests.
Other evidence shows the implication of Imperial Yachts in the construction of the $700 million superyacht called the Scheherazade – which US officials believe is linked to Vladimir Putin – and the construction of the Crescent, which is linked to Igor Sechin.
Funds to build the ships are believed to have come from a group of investors led by Gennady Timchenko. The Amadea, the Scheherazade, and the Crescent may have cost about $1.6 billion in total, according to the report.
Timchenko, whose wife and two daughters have also been sanctioned, is believed to be a close confidant of the Russian president and has been under US sanctions since 2014.
Simon Clark, a lawyer for Imperial Yachts, told the NYT that the company "is unaware of any connection between our business and Timchenko. However, we are in the yacht-building business; we are not involved in our clients' financial affairs."
Clark added that the company has "never conducted business or provided services to any parties subject to international sanctions."