Trump Move Helped Russian Billionaires Hide Their Cash
The KleptoCapture task force hunted down the offshore assets of Russian oligarchs to fund Ukraine’s military defense.

Eugene Tanner/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s dismantling of Task Force KleptoCapture, an anti–corruption initiative set up in 2022 to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs, has set off a “dizzying” shift in “dirty money coming into the United States,” a source told the New York Times. In addition to shutting down the task force, the Trump administration has also ordered the Justice Department to end the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, banning businesses from paying bribes. Under former President Joe Biden’s tenure, KleptoCapture traced yachts, jets and luxury properties hidden behind shell companies in global tax havens, which were sold to help fund Ukraine’s defense against Russia. The task force’s most prominent case involved the 2022 seizure of a $300 million yacht owned by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. After its shutdown in February, KleptoCapture scored a post-mortem victory in March, NYT reported. After a lengthy legal battle and several attempts by the Trump administration to interfere with the process, a judge ruled that Kerimov was the true owner of the yacht and that the U.S. government was allowed to sell it.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation