'All time high' global unity on sanctions, says U.S. official
STORY: Andrew Adams, a veteran prosecutor now leading the "KleptoCapture" task force, told Reuters in an interview that in some cases, even oligarchs who have not yet had sanctions imposed on them are trying to move assets ahead of potential future sanctions.
But as they try to hide mobile property such as yachts in countries they believe to be secretive and park their money behind layers of shell companies, Adams warned that these oligarchs are facing an "all-time high" level of international cooperation to track any ill-gotten gains of Russian elites.
The goal of the task force, established last month, is to put the finances of wealthy, influential Russians under strain in a bid to pressure President Vladimir Putin to stop what he calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
Adams said there haven't been reports of major asset seizures in the United States as in other countries because the U.S. has not been attractive for Putin supporters since around 2014, due to a series of sanctions over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
