2 charged in $150M scheme with sanctioned Ukrainian oligarch

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A U.S. businessman and a Belarus national have been arrested in Florida and charged with violating U.S. sanctions in a scheme that involved purchasing more than $150 million in steelmaking materials from an exiled Ukrainian oligarch. The oligarch was previously accused of funding Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Court records show 41-year-old U.S. businessman John Unsalan was arrested last Friday, and 46-year-old Belarus national Sergey Karpushkin on Tuesday. According to an indictment, Unsalan transferred over $150 million to Sergey Kurchenko between 2018 and 2021. Kurchenko was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2015. In return, Unsalan received metal products used in steelmaking. Prosecutors say Karpushkin helped facilitate those transactions.