FBI Probes Russian Oligarch Gusinsky Amid Sanctions Scandal

GREENWICH, Conn. — In December 2022, FBI agents visited the $7 million Greenwich mansion of Vladimir Gusinsky, a once-powerful Russian oligarch, as part of an investigation into sanctions evasion and ties to a retired FBI agent. The agents questioned Gusinsky’s wife, Elena Konstantinou, and seized electronic devices, marking a new chapter in the oligarch’s tumultuous life.

Gusinsky, 72, rose to prominence in the 1990s as the founder of NTV, Russia’s first independent national TV channel. His media empire, Media-Most, played a pivotal role in shaping Russian politics, including supporting Boris Yeltsin‘s 1996 re-election campaign. However, his fortunes changed after Vladimir Putin‘s rise to power. In 2000, Gusinsky was jailed on fraud charges, forced to sell his media assets to state-owned Gazprom, and exiled from Russia.

Since then, Gusinsky has lived in Spain, Israel, and the U.S., where he continued to develop TV shows for Russian audiences. But his financial situation deteriorated after 2014, when Western sanctions on Russia and Ukraine’s annexation of Crimea disrupted his business. By 2018, Gusinsky was embroiled in lawsuits and mounting debts, as detailed in court records and interviews with associates.

The FBI’s interest in Gusinsky appears linked to his connections with Charles McGonigal, a retired FBI agent, and Sergei Shestakov, a former diplomat. McGonigal was arrested in January 2023 for conspiring to help Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska evade U.S. sanctions. Shestakov, who faces related charges, is set to go on trial in February 2025. Both men had ties to Gusinsky, who has not been charged but remains under scrutiny.

Gusinsky’s legal troubles extend beyond the FBI probe. He is locked in a bitter divorce with Konstantinou and faces multiple lawsuits over unpaid debts. Former associates, including Mikhail Borshchevsky, have accused him of dishonesty and reneging on financial promises. “He’s a crook. He’s a liar. He’s extremely dishonest,” Borshchevsky said in court papers.

Despite his challenges, Gusinsky denies any wrongdoing. In a statement to RFE/RL, he confirmed meeting with Yeltsin’s daughter, Tatyana Dyachenko, and her husband in 2018 but denied discussing Deripaska’s sanctions. “We reminisced about the past and discussed plans for the future,” he said.

As U.S.-Russian relations remain strained, Gusinsky’s case underscores the complexities of oligarchs’ lives in exile and the ongoing efforts by U.S. authorities to counter foreign influence operations.