“New and Covert Tactics Used to Crack Down on Sanctions Evaders, Including Russian Oligarchs and Corporations”

New and secret tactics

Adams’ comments could be seen as a warning against a broadening US crackdown on sanctions evaders, and underline a chronic problem: law enforcement’s struggle to limit the ability of wealthy Russians and corporations to hide their money.

Investigators are also examining how cryptocurrencies were used to disguise transactions for illicit goods or funnel payments at the retail level to oligarchs, sanctioned companies or Russian militias.

Italy freezes the assets of a Russian fugitive accused of evading US sanctions

While banks in the US and western Europe are complying relatively well, “there are areas of the world where that culture doesn’t exist,” says Adams.

The sanctions enforcement force is using a series of new and covert tactics to identify and hunt down companies and people who hide the assets of wealthy Russians and help fund Russia’s war machine in Ukraine.

“We don’t always file a subpoena and hope people give us information,” Adams said. “We send sources, we run blitz operations, we rely on whistleblowers and search warrants and covert work.”