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Superyacht seized by U.S. from Russian billionaire arrives in San Diego Bay

June 27, 2022 / 3:40 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday.

The 348-foot-long (106-meter-long) Amadea flew an American flag as it sailed past the retired aircraft carrier USS Midway and under the Coronado Bridge.

"After a transpacific journey of over 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers), 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 Department of Justice said in a statement.

The FBI linked the Amadea to the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, and the vessel became a target of Task Force KleptoCapture, launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The U.S. said Kerimov secretly bought the vessel last year through various shell companies.

But Justice Department  officials had been stymied  by a legal effort to contest the American seizure warrant and by a yacht crew that refused to sail for the U.S. American officials won a legal battle in Fiji to take the Cayman Islands-flagged superyacht earlier this month. 

US-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT

The Amadea made a stop in Honolulu Harbor en route to the U.S. mainland. The Amadea boasts  luxury features  such as a helipad, mosaic-tiled pool, lobster tank and a pizza oven, nestled in a décor of "delicate marble and stones" and "precious woods and delicate silk fabrics," according to court documents.

"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," the Justice Department said.

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NBC 7 San Diego

Russian Oligarch's Seized Yacht Sails into San Diego Harbor

The yacht amadea, which boasts a helipad and swimming pool, was seized earlier this month in fiji., by eric s. page and mari payton • published june 27, 2022 • updated on june 27, 2022 at 6:48 pm.

A $325 million 350-foot yacht owned by a sanctioned "beneficiary of Russian corruption" was put into port in San Diego Monday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Officials with the DOJ said the Amadea, which was seized in connection to the department's KleptoCapture campaign undertaken in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, is owned by Suleiman Kerimov a Russian billionaire.

The yacht, which boasts a helipad and swimming pool, was seized earlier this month in Fiji.

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“Last month, I warned that the department had its eyes on every yacht purchased with dirty money,” Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said in May. “This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide – not even in the remotest part of the world. We will use every means of enforcing the sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine.”

According to CNBC , Kerimov "was sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2018 for allegedly profiting from the Russian government through corruption and its illegal annexation of Crimea in Ukraine in 2014."

The Amadea sailed under the Coronado Bridge at around 8 a.m. on Monday before heading into a berth on the San Diego waterfront.

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“ 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," read a statement, in part, released Monday by the DOJ.

The U.S. said Kerimov secretly bought the vessel last year through various shell companies.

The U.S. won a legal battle in Fiji to take the Cayman Islands-flagged superyacht earlier this month. The Amadea made a stop in Honolulu Harbor en route to the U.S. mainland.

After the yacht arrived in San Diego, John Kirby, a former federal prosecutor, told NBC 7 that he thinks the U.S. government hopes moves like the Amadea's seizure are efforts to apply pressure to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Incredibly, the owners of assets like the Amadea may just walk away rather than fight ther seizure.

"A lot of times people that own these objects … they don’t want to get involved," Kirby said. "For whatever reason, they don’t want people digging around in their life. And so sometimes they just let it go," adding that such seizures are "easy a lot of times because you often have bad actors that don’t want to come forward and don’t want to claim the yacht, don’t want to litigate about it, so it could go into default judgment."

The Associated Press contributed to this report — Ed.

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Russian superyacht seized by US arrives in San Diego Bay

The super yacht Amadea passes San Diego as it comes into the San Diego Bay Monday, June 27, 2022, seen from Coronado, Calif. The $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The super yacht Amadea passes San Diego as it comes into the San Diego Bay Monday, June 27, 2022, seen from Coronado, Calif. The $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The super yacht Amadea passes the USS Midway Museum as it comes into the San Diego Bay Monday, June 27, 2022, seen from Coronado, Calif. The $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People look on from the super yacht Amadea as it arrives to the San Diego Bay Monday, June 27, 2022, seen from Coronado, Calif. The $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People stand on the deck of the super yacht Amadea as it is escorted by a Coast Guard vessel in the San Diego Bay Monday, June 27, 2022, seen from Coronado, Calif. The $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The super yacht Amadea sails into the San Diego Bay Monday, June 27, 2022, seen from Coronado, Calif. The $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday.(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A $325 million superyacht seized by the United States from a sanctioned Russian oligarch arrived in San Diego Bay on Monday.

The 348-foot-long (106-meter-long) Amadea flew an American flag as it sailed past the retired aircraft carrier USS Midway and under the Coronado Bridge.

The Department of Justice said the Amadea was safely docked after a transpacific journey of over 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers) “and will remain in the custody of the U.S. government, pending its anticipated forfeiture and sale.”

The FBI linked the Amadea to the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, and the vessel became a target of Task Force KleptoCapture, launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. said Kerimov secretly bought the vessel last year through various shell companies.

The U.S. won a legal battle in Fiji to take the Cayman Islands-flagged superyacht earlier this month. The Amadea made a stop in Honolulu Harbor en route to the U.S. mainland.

“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,” the Justice Department said.

russian mega yacht san diego

Superyacht feds say was seized from Russian oligarch sails into San Diego

Navy boat speeds by the superyacht Amadea in San Diego Bay on  June 27, 2022

The U.S. took control of the 348-foot boat in Fiji on May 5

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A $300 million superyacht the U.S. seized from a Russian oligarch in Fiji last month sailed into San Diego Bay on Monday morning.

Known as the Amadea, it is 348-feet long, and features a helipad and a swimming pool. The U.S. Department of Justice says it was owned by Suleiman Kerimov, a gold investor Forbes says is worth $14.5 billion .

It’s not clear how long the seized boat will stay in San Diego. Justice Department officials said the plan is to eventually sell it off.

“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,” the Department of Justice said in a statement Monday.

The U.S. sanctioned Kerimov in 2018, who was accused of money laundering related to the purchase of French villas. The European Union sanctioned him in March 2022, the Associated Press reported.

That same month, the Department of Justice created Task Force KleptoCapture to enforce the sanctions the U.S. and its foreign allies imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Luxury yacht Amadea sailed into San Diego Bay on Monday

Two months later, on May 5, the Department of Justice announced it had seized the Amadea in Fiji. “Today’s action should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said that day.

After winning a court battle in Fiji — there was a dispute over the yacht’s actual owner — the U.S. sailed the ship from the South Pacific island on June 7 .

The superyacht stopped in Hawaii last week before heading into San Diego, sailing under the San-Diego-Coronado Bridge on its way to its berth Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Superyacht feds say was seized from Russian oligarch sails into San Diego

A small Navy boat sprays water in its wake next to a massive yacht

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A $300-million superyacht the U.S. seized from an alleged Russian oligarch in Fiji last month sailed into San Diego Bay on Monday morning.

Known as the Amadea, it is 348 feet long and features a helipad and swimming pool. The Department of Justice says it was owned by Suleiman Kerimov, a gold investor Forbes says is worth $14.5 billion .

It’s not clear how long the seized boat will stay in San Diego. Justice officials said the plan is to eventually sell it off.

“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,” the Department of Justice said in a statement Monday.

The U.S. sanctioned Kerimov, who was accused of money laundering related to the purchase of French villas, in 2018. The European Union sanctioned him in March 2022, the Associated Press reported.

That same month, the Department of Justice created Task Force KleptoCapture to enforce the sanctions the U.S. and its foreign allies imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine.

A massive yacht sails with a bridge in the background

Two months later, on May 5, the Department of Justice announced it had seized the Amadea in Fiji. “Today’s action should make clear that there is no hiding place for the assets of individuals who violate U.S. law,” Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland said that day.

After winning a court battle in Fiji — there was a dispute over the yacht’s actual owner — the U.S. sailed the ship from the South Pacific island on June 7 .

The superyacht stopped in Hawaii last week before heading into San Diego, sailing under the San Diego-Coronado Bridge on its way to its berth Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Federal government moves to confiscate mega yacht seized from alleged Russian oligarch

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NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) — After letting a mega yacht seized from an alleged Russian oligarch sit in San Diego bay for nearly 18 months, the federal government is now beginning the process of trying to officially confiscate it.

The Amadea was seized in Fiji and arrived in San Diego in June of 2022. According to court documents obtained by ABC 10News, federal prosecutors allege that the yacht is owned by Suleiman Kerimov, a Russian billionaire who was sanctioned following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kerimov had the ship custom-built at a reported cost of $300 million dollars. It's considered one of the most lavish mega yachts in the world. "Even in our jaded industry, the yacht behind me is a superstar," said yacht expert Todd Roberts, President of Marine Group Boat Works, a ship yard in Chula Vista that works on mega yachts, though not contracted to work on the Amadea.

While the government may hope to win the case to confiscate the yacht and sell it, that may be a tricky proposition. “Nobody really wants international law to be designed in a way where countries can just sort of seize other country’s assets and actually confiscate them," explained University of San Diego law professor Craig Barkacs.

He says it is not legally clear that the United States has the right to confiscate the ship, even after seizing it. There are a number of United States and international laws that could be at play. He points out that the seizure of the ship for violating sanctions is more of a political decision than a legal one.

Even the ownership of Amadea by Kerimov is being challenged, with a counter lawsuit filed on behalf of another man who claims to be owner of the yacht. Barkacs says the court battle could last a long time. “The answer to your question is, I don’t want to sound too cynical here, but 'in perpetuity' comes to mind.”

Meanwhile, the government is stuck with the ship. Roberts says it must be maintained because letting it rot would lead to leaks and environmental damage to the bay. He estimates the cost of paying for fuel to power the generators, plus maintenance, and the salaries of the 20-30 person crew living full-time on the yacht to be between $4-6 million annually.

If it wins in court, the government could sell Amadea to recoup its money. But for now, it will remain parked in its spot next to Pepper Park.

“If the boat’s going to sit anywhere, it’s great that it’s here in San Diego," Roberts said.

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The US wants a Russian oligarch's seized $300 million superyacht that features an infinity pool, a movie theater, and a helicopter landing pad

  • The US has filed a civil forfeiture case against a $300 million superyacht it alleges is owned by a Russian oligarch.
  • The 348-foot luxury ship Amadea was bought by billionaire Suleiman Kerimov in September 2021, years after he was sanctioned, US officials say.
  • Eduard Khudainatov, another Russian oligarch, filed legal papers saying he owns the superyacht instead.  

Insider Today

Federal attorneys want to have a Russian oligarch's $300 million superyacht forfeited to the US, over a year after it was first seized by Fiji authorities after the war with Ukraine broke out.

US Attorney Damian Williams on Monday filed a civil forfeiture complaint against the Amadea, an extravagant 348-foot-long luxury ship that US officials allege is owned by billionaire Suleiman Kerimov.

The Amadea features a helicopter pad on its foredeck, a mosaic-lined swimming pool at the rear, fire pits, and an indoor movie theater, according to CharterWorld Luxury Yacht Charters .

Kerimov was initially sanctioned in 2018 over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Williams wrote in court filings. Yet in 2021, he worked out a deal to buy the yacht through a series of corporate entities to obscure who owned the vessel and violated sanctions by having more than $1 million in maintenance work done on the ship, the court documents allege.

The yacht was initially seized by Fiji authorities after it raced into the Pacific Ocean when the war with Ukraine broke out, according to a BBC report published in November 2022.

US prosecutor Andrew Adams told the BBC that authorities noticed the vessel "scrambling out of waters where we would normally be able to seize it" just weeks after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

"Essentially, the boat tried to go dark," Adams said in an interview.

Related stories

The BBC reported that US officials believed the ship was going to race for Vladivostok, a Russian port near North Korea, when it was seized in Fiji.

The ship was then seized by the US Department of Justice and moved to California where it remains docked.

However, lawyers for a separate Russian oligarch claiming to own the yacht — Eduard Khudainatov, who hasn't been sanctioned — filed legal papers in a Fiji court last year , seeking to have the boat turned back over.

Khudainatov's lawyers told Bloomberg that they've filed a lawsuit in San Diego, California as well seeking to get the superyacht back. 

A representative for Khudainatov's lawyers referred Insider to the filing. 

The legal wrangling surrounding the Amadea underscores the challenges over determining the actual owner of a superyacht due to a complex ownership structure that could include shell companies, Insider reported in March last year.

It also prolongs the process of determining the next steps surrounding the yachts — which are sitting around and racking up millions of dollars in annual maintenance fees.

In April last year, the US Justice Department estimated the yacht's running costs mount up to between $25 million and $30 million a year. 

The US complaint against the Amadea on Monday marks the latest development over the seizure of Russian assets after Moscow invaded Ukraine. 

Forbes estimated in April that Western countries have frozen or seized at least 15 superyachts linked to sanctioned Russian billionaires. 

Seized yachts include the $120 million Alfa Nero that has been docked in the small Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda since February last year and the $735 million Dilbar , which has been impounded in Germany.

Governments that have seized Russian property are seeking to take over their ownership — and this would require authorities to prove that the assets were part of a crime. They are considering using the interest generated from frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine .

October 24, 12.06 a.m. EDT: This story has been updated to include details of the Fiji complaint and adds background information on seized Russian yachts.

Watch: The rise and fall of Russian oligarchs

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The U.S. seized Russian oligarchs' superyachts. Now, American taxpayers pay the price

Ayesha Rascoe, photographed for NPR, 2 May 2022, in Washington DC. Photo by Mike Morgan for NPR.

Ayesha Rascoe

Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Stephanie Baker, senior writer at Bloomberg News, about the complications involved in seizing and maintaining superyachts owned by sanctioned Russian billionaires.

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

When the U.S. and its allies looked for ways to sanction the Russian elite, they zeroed in on their superyachts, filled with luxuries like heated pools and wine cellars. But as Stephanie Baker reports, the powerful symbolism of seizing a superyacht is followed by the expense of maintaining those pools and wine cellars and everything else aboard these floating palaces. Stephanie Baker is a senior writer at Bloomberg News, and she joins us now. Thanks for being with us.

STEPHANIE BAKER: Thanks for having me.

RASCOE: So you've written a series of articles on the West's seizure of these yachts from Russian oligarchs. What have you learned about what goes into maintaining these types of boats? Like, you can't just let them sit at the dock?

BAKER: No, it's not a case of turning off the lights, locking up the door and leaving them until the war in Ukraine is over. These things take an enormous amount of money to maintain. Even stuck in ports, they have to be staffed with a, you know, minimal crew to be on board in case of accidents, fires, fuel spills, the like. You know, for insurance purposes, insurance is another cost. They need to be washed so they don't entail a multimillion-dollar repaint job. And, you know, it's an incredibly costly process and complicated.

RASCOE: Is part of the issue they don't know what they're going to do with them?

BAKER: Well, in the case of the U.S., they have vowed to sell them eventually through a complicated process called forfeiture, where they have to go before a judge and prove that this superyacht has been bought with the proceeds of crime or involved in some kind of crime. And that is a lengthy, difficult process, especially in the case of Russian-linked superyachts because it's not always clear who the owner is. One forfeiture expert compared it to seizing the proceeds of a drug lord. A drug lord may not have his mansion in his own name. It would be in his girlfriend's name. So there's a long process to establish not who owns it on paper, but who's really controlling it, who's directing it, who's making decisions about it.

RASCOE: So when the U.S. or the EU seizes a yacht, the cost of maintaining that yacht - it actually goes to the taxpayers, right? Like, so how much money are we talking about that taxpayers are paying?

BAKER: It is U.S. taxpayers that are paying for it, at least until they do sell it and then can recoup the costs. Typically, it costs 10% of a superyacht's value to maintain it. But when it's frozen in port, the cost will obviously be less. It's not eating as much fuel by cruising at sea. I did a lot of reporting to try to establish, what are the real costs of keeping these things in port. And I came to a pretty conservative estimate of something like 3%. Now, in the case of one superyacht, the one that the U.S. government seized and sailed from Fiji to San Diego, I established that the annual costs of keeping that in port are about 10 million a year.

RASCOE: So 10 million a year. That's for one yacht?

BAKER: That's for one yacht.

RASCOE: For one yacht.

BAKER: And that's a conservative estimate.

RASCOE: OK. And so all together, do you have any sense of how much that might be?

BAKER: Well, globally, including the EU and the U.K. - they've seized more than 15 superyachts. And we're talking tens of millions. But if you're a sanctioned Russian oligarch with your asset frozen in a port, how long are you really going to pay? So we're looking at potentially years of litigation over these vessels about who's paying, you know, the maintenance. And they're essentially going to be in sort of legal purgatory for many years.

RASCOE: And so, I mean, most of us will never step foot on a superyacht. So it's hard for us to imagine. What is the most outrageous luxury that you've come across or one that, you know, really stood out to you?

BAKER: Right. So I went to the Monaco Yacht Show at the end of September and got on board one of the most luxurious, expensive superyachts. It was just the most incredible floating mansion. It had hand-painted bathrooms, handmade curved bar, a pool, elaborate bedrooms, you know, very high ceilings, multiple decks. They are the most extravagant status symbol, really, amongst the billionaire class.

RASCOE: That's Stephanie Baker, senior writer at Bloomberg News. Thank you so much.

BAKER: Thank you for having me.

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Russian oligarch's yacht costs U.S. taxpayers close to $1 million a month

US-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT

A mega-yacht seized by U.S. authorities from a Russian oligarch is costing the government nearly $1 million a month to maintain, according to new court filings.

The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking permission to sell a 348-foot yacht called Amadea, which it seized in 2022, alleging that it was owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. The government said it wants to sell the $230 million yacht due to the “excessive costs” of maintenance and crew, which it said could total $922,000 a month.

“It is excessive for taxpayers to pay nearly a million dollars per month to maintain the Amadea when these expenses could be reduced to zero through [a] sale,” according to a court filing by U.S. prosecutors on Friday.

The monthly charges for Amadea, which is now docked in San Diego, California, include $600,000 per month in running costs: $360,000 for the crew; $75,000 for fuel; and $165,000 for maintenance, waste removal, food and other expenses. They also include $144,000 in monthly pro-rata insurance costs and special charges including dry-docking fees, at $178,000, bringing the total to $922,000, according to the filings.

The battle over Amadea and the costs to the government highlight the financial and legal challenges of seizing and selling assets owned by Russian oligarchs after the country’s invasion of Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the European Union should use profits from more than $200 billion of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort.

Her comments echoed government calls in the spring of 2022 to freeze the yachts, private jets and mansions of Russian billionaires in hopes of putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and raising money for the war effort.

Yet, nearly two years later, the legal process for proving ownership of the Russian assets and selling them has proven to be far more time-consuming and costly. In London, Russian billionaire Eugene Shvidler has waged a court battle over his private jets that were impounded, and Sergei Naumenko has been appealing the detention of his superyacht Phi.

The battle over Amadea began in April 2022, when it was seized in Fiji at the request of the U.S. government, according to the court filings.

Though the U.S. alleges that the yacht is owned by Kerimov, who made his fortune in mining, attorneys for Eduard Khudainatov, an ex-Rosneft CEO who has not been sanctioned, say he owns the yacht, and have sought to take back possession of the vessel.

In court filings, Khudainatov’s attorneys have objected to the U.S. government’s efforts to sell the yacht, saying a rushed sale could lead to a distressed sale price and that the maintenance costs are minor relative to the potential sale value.

Khudainatov’s attorneys refuse to pay the ongoing maintenance costs as long as the government pursues a sale and forfeiture. However, they say their client will reimburse the U.S. government for the more than $20 million already spent to maintain the yacht if it’s returned to its proper owner.

In court papers, the government says Kerimov disguised his ownership of Amadea through a series of shell companies and other owners. They say emails between crew members show Kerimov “was the beneficial owner of the yacht, irrespective of the titleholder of the vessel.”

The emails show that Kerimov and his family ordered several interior improvements of the yacht, including a new pizza oven and spa, and that between 2021 and 2022, when the boat was seized, “there were no guest trips on the Amadea that did not include either Kerimov or his family members,” according to the court filings.

The government also says Kerimov has been trying to sell Amadea for years, so a sale would be in keeping with his intent.

“This is not a situation in which a court would be ordering sale of a precious heirloom that a claimant desperately wishes to keep for sentimental reasons,” the government said in filings.

Even if Amadea were sold quickly, the proceeds wouldn’t automatically go to the government. Under law, the money would be held while Khudainatov and the government continue their battle in court over the ownership and forfeiture.

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russian mega yacht san diego

Mega-yacht seized from Russian oligarch is costing US taxpayers nearly $1MILLION a month to maintain as court battle to sell ship rages on

  • The 348-foot-long, $300 million Amadea mega-yacht was seized from Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov in May 2022
  • It has been docked in San Diego for the last two years and is costing nearly $1 million a month in maintenance 
  • Authorities are looking to sell the yacht, but Russian businessman Eduard Khudainatov is challenging the ownership of the boat

A mega-yacht seized from a Russian oligarch almost two years ago by the U.S. government is costing taxpayers nearly $1 million a month in upkeep, court records revealed.

The 348-foot-long, $300 million Amadea mega-yacht was seized from Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov in May 2022 as part of an effort to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

It has been docked in San Diego since it arrived in the United States in June 2022 and is costing $922,000 a month to maintain, according to court records.

Authorities are looking to sell the yacht, but Russian businessman Eduard Khudainatov is challenging the ownership of the boat in court. 

'It is “excessive” for taxpayers to pay nearly a million dollars per month to maintain the Amadea when these expenses could be reduced to zero through interlocutory sale,' the government said in recent court filings. 

The costs breakdown as $600,000 per month in running costs; $360,000 for the crew; $75,000 for fuel; and $165,000 for maintenance, waste removal, food and other expenses, reported CNBC . 

The government is paying $144,000 in monthly pro-rata insurance costs and other charges, including dry-docking fees, add an additional $178,000, bringing the total to $922,000.

The luxury yacht features a live lobster tank, a hand-painted piano, a swimming pool and a large helipad. 

It was built in 2017 by German company Lurssen, according to Superyacht Times and is listed as the 63rd largest yacht in the world.

The Amadea was taken out from the San Diego Bay through a loop off the coast of La Jolla on a maintenance voyage in January, reported CBS 8 .

Khudainatov has claimed ownership of the Amadea and said it cannot not be forfeited to the U.S. government because he has not been sanctioned. 

Prosecutors argue Khudainatov is acting as the Amadea's 'straw owner' to disguise Kerimov's role.

Kerimov, 57, was sanctioned in 2022 for violating previous sanctions against him by using U.S. bank accounts to buy products and services 'for the operation and maintenance of the Amadea.'

He was previously sanctioned in 2018 for being 'complicit in certain activities with respect to Ukraine' after Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula in 2014.

The oligarch is a former oil trader and a member of the Russian Federation Council, the country's upper legislative chamber. He is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and is worth a reported $14.5 billion.

The Amadea was docked in Fiji when U.S. authorities first attempted to seize the boat.

The U.S. ultimately won a legal battle in Fiji to take the boat and now are looking to sell it while the ownership is being challenged in U.S. court.

If the U.S. government succeeds in auctioning the yacht, it would likely eventually transfer sale proceeds to Ukraine.

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