Virginia-Based Russian TV Contributor Charged with Violating U.S. Sanctions

The U.S. Justice Department has charged Dimitri Simes and his wife Anastasia Simes for violating U.S. sanctions. They are accused of laundering funds for Channel One Russia and aiding Russian oligarch Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov. Though they maintain a home in Virginia, they are believed to be in Russia.

The U.S. Justice Department has formally charged Virginia-based Russian television contributor Dimitri Simes and his wife, Anastasia Simes, with allegedly violating U.S. sanctions through two distinct schemes.

One indictment accuses the couple of laundering funds and violating sanctions to benefit Channel One Russia, a Russian broadcaster sanctioned in May 2022. A second indictment concerns allegations of sanction violations involving Russian oligarch Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, who was sanctioned in February 2023.

Simes, formerly the president and CEO of the Center for National Interest, now serves as a moderator for the Moscow-based show "Big Game" on Channel One Russia. Despite maintaining a home in Huntly, Virginia, prosecutors believe the couple is currently residing in Russia.

(With inputs from agencies.)