US charges former Trump 2016 campaign adviser Dimitri Simes over work for sanctioned Russian media

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has charged a Russian-born U.S. citizen and former adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign with working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds.

Indictments announced Thursday by the Department of Justice allege that Dimitri Simes and his wife received over $1 million dollars and a personal car and driver in exchange for work they did for Russia’s Channel One. The state television network was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Simes, 76, and his wife, Anastasia Simes, have a home in Virginia and are believed to be in Russia.

Simes ran a think tank based in Washington that advised Trump’s campaign.

A second indictment alleges that Anastasia Simes, 55, received funds from sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexander Udodov. Udodov was sanctioned last year for his support for the Russian government.

If convicted of the charges, the two face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Associated Press, The Associated Press