U.S. Laundering Probe Touches Putin Ally

United States prosecutors have launched a money-laundering investigation of a member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, in what is seen as a politically sensitive escalation of pressure on Putin’s billionaire supporters, according to people familiar with the effort. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, aided by the Justice Department, is investigating whether Gennady Timchenko transferred funds linked to allegedly corrupt deals in Russia through the U.S. financial system, The Wall Street Journal reports. The probe involves transactions in which Timchenko’s Gunvor Group purchased oil from Russia’s OAO Rosneft and later sold it to third parties.