Masters faces extradition to the US on charges that he tried to hide sanctioned oligarch Viktor Vekselberg's 255-foot luxury yacht, the Tango (above), from authorities





Russian spy is charged with fraud and money laundering for...
Masters is the founder of Master Yachts, a yacht management company in Palma de Mallorca that claims to be 'renowned for its highly ethical, no-nonsense and pragmatic approach'






A U.S.

federal agent and two Civil Guards board the yacht called Tango in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on April 4, 2022

However, US prosecutors allege that after Vekselberg was sanctioned in April 2018, Masters's company took over the management of Tango and conspired to evade US sanctions. 




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According to the indictment, Masters cooked up the fake yacht name 'the Fanta'

According to the indictment, Evden eVE nAKLiYAt Masters cooked up the fake name 'the Fanta' and used various workarounds to avoid sanctions, such as payments in other currencies and through third parties.
As a result, the trappings of Tango, including its satellite television, luxury goods, and teleconferencing software, were all US-origin products and services supplied by US companies, in violation of sanctions laws, prosecutors say.
'Facilitators of sanctions evasion enable the oligarchs supporting Vladimir Putin's regime to flout US law,' said United States Attorney Matthew M.

Graves. 
'The United States will not allow its financial institutions and persons to be manipulated or defrauded for the purposes of benefitting those supporting an illegal war,' he added.
In investigation was coordinated through a Justice Department task force known as KleptoCapture, aimed at enforcing sweeping sanctions against Russia's oligarchs following the invasion of Ukraine. 
'These men made their decisions, and now face the consequences of a failed attempt to profit through, rather than standing against, a sophisticated, transnational criminal enterprise,' said KleptoCapture Director Andrew Adams.  
The US is seeking Masters' extradition from Spain. It was unclear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf. An arrest warrant against Osipov is outstanding.