DoJ seizes luxury NYC, Hamptons residences of Putin ally

The Justice Department’s “Operation KleptoCapture” is seeking to seize luxury real-estate in the Hamptons, New York City and Miami Beach valued at $75 million and belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, court documents show.

NBC News was the first to report the raid of Vekselberg’s properties in September of last year. Those raids by the Justice Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in part led to Friday’s seizure filings.

[They have to get a court to go along with these seizures, of course, and that may not be a slam dunk. It’s tougher to seize property in the US than abroad, as they did with Vekselberg’s yacht in Spain. Be sure to read to the end to note the indirect connection to George Santos, too. — Ed]