A federal judge in New York approved a warrant Monday ordering the seizure of two planes owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, according to multiple reports.
According to court documents reviewed by the CNBC news website, the planes include a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and a Gulfstream G650ER. Prosecutors claimed the planes were flown into Russia in March in violation of US export controls imposed on Russia following its conflict in Ukraine.
The restrictions would have barred the planes from entering Russia because they are American-made, and would have necessitated the issuance of special licenses.
Reports say Abramovich owns the planes through a complicated scheme involving several shell companies in Cyprus and Jersey.
In April, Jersey authorities froze the oligarch’s assets worth more than $7 billion.
Abramovich is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the former owner of the Chelsea football club in the United Kingdom.
As part of its effort to tighten the financial screws on Putin and his inner circle, the US has refrained from sanctioning Abramovich personally.
