The purported financial manager of a convicted Russian arms trafficker awaits extradition to the United States to face money laundering and sanctions-related charges after his arrest in Australia on Wednesday.
A New York grand jury Wednesday indicted alleged Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout for using shell companies and New York banks to buy planes in violation of U.S. sanctions.
The exploitation of shell companies by arms traffickers, terrorist financiers and other criminals represents a serious danger to U.S. national security, a high ranking U.S. Treasury Department official said Thursday.