SAN DIEGO — A 348-foot luxury yacht owned by a Russian oligarch arrived in the San Diego Bay Monday morning.
The $300 million dollar boat named “Amadea” was seized by the United States Department of Justice in May off the coast of Fiji. It’s owned by billionaire Suleiman Kerimov.
The US and its allies are seizing property and assets of Russian oligarchs to try and put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the War in Ukraine.
The yacht is four floors high. There is a swimming pool on the first floor. An American flag is now onboard as well.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Kerimov as part of a group of Russian oligarchs who profit from the Russian government through corruption and its malign activity around the globe, including the occupation of Crimea. In sanctioning Kerimov, the Treasury Department also cited Kerimov as an official of the Government of the Russian Federation and a member of the Russian Federation Counsel.
The Amadea is among many yachts targeted by the US Treasury Department.
The Department of Justice released the following statement:
“On May 5, 2022, the United States announced a seizure action against the Amadea, a $300 million dollar luxury yacht belonging to Suleiman Kerimov, a sanctioned Oligarch and beneficiary of Russian corruption. After a transpacific journey of over 5,000 miles, the Amadea has safely docked in a port within the United States, and will remain in the custody of the U.S. government, pending its anticipated forfeiture and sale.
The successful seizure and transport of Amadea would not have been possible without extraordinary cooperation from our foreign partners in the global effort to enforce U.S. sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine. We hope to make additional footage of the Amadea available at a later date.”