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US Treasury Sanctions 16 Russians For Hacking, Election Meddling (engadget.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: The Treasury Department has leveled sanctions against 16 current and former GRU intelligence officers (some of whom were targeted in earlier indictments) for their involvement in multiple campaigns against the U.S., including the Democratic National Committee hacks, World Anti-Doping Agency hacks and election meddling efforts. The targets include Elena Khusyaynova, the primary accountant for the Project Lakhta influence campaign that included the Internet Research Agency. The sanctions also target associated entities like the Federal News Agency.
As with the indictments, the sanctions will only have a limited effect. The measure blocks all property and interests from these people that might be in U.S. jurisdictions, and Americans are "generally prohibited" from conducting transactions with them. The targets live in Russia, though, and it's doubtful that they'll travel to countries where the sanctions will hit them. This is more a symbolic gesture than one intended to curb Russian hacks and manipulation attempts.
As with the indictments, the sanctions will only have a limited effect. The measure blocks all property and interests from these people that might be in U.S. jurisdictions, and Americans are "generally prohibited" from conducting transactions with them. The targets live in Russia, though, and it's doubtful that they'll travel to countries where the sanctions will hit them. This is more a symbolic gesture than one intended to curb Russian hacks and manipulation attempts.
Thing is that the sanctions mean that most Western banks are prohibited from providing them with services because they are also present in the USA. That's a lot more problematic.
Further plenty of countries will be happy to arrest them pending extradition to the USA, including pretty much the entire EU amount others. They will also be unable to get diplomatic passports for pretty much anywhere now, and if Russia issues false identities to get them diplomatic passports they are invalid and that diplomatic immunity is out the window.
For reference just ask Meng Wanzhou how that is working out for her...
Basically if they ever want to step outside Russia they need to be very very careful where they go.
Spies in 2012-2014 caught trying to recruit US:
"Evgeny Buryakov, 39, who posed as an employee in the New York City office of a Russian bank [VTB bank], according to the federal complaint. The man he met regularly for the handoffs was Igor Sporyshev, 40, "
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/27/us/new-york-alleged-russian-spy/index.html
They went around New York developers offering lucrative Moscow property deals in exchange for getting sanctions lifted against Russia.
VTB bank, the bank involved, were sanctioned, the spies were prosecuted and their diplomat handlers kicked out.
This is why Trump was negotiating Trump Tower Moscow all through the election, which would have seen him basically receive $130 million in name licensing fees, and it's why VTB bank was to finance the project.
This is why he lied about the deal, despite knowing he'd already signed onto the deal, and continued to lie until Cohen's trial.
This is why his lawyer, Giuliani, lied about him signing the deal, only admitting Trump had signed it when confronted with the contract.
This is Moscow hid the deal, and went along with Trump's lie, helping him conceal it. They knew he was lying, they had a copy of the letter of intent he so carefully hid from the FBI... yet they cooperated in the lie.
You see why Trump just handed control of Syria over to Moscow? There's trust there, Trump knew Putin would conceal the lies he was telling to the FBI.
every fucking moron in congress that has supported this dipshit president and this joke of an administration should be 'locked up'.
every clueless fuck that voted for trump should be forced to at least re-take (and pass) junior high (lets get real here, most never did pass and graduate high school, so we have to go back a few grades) civics and american history.
fox'news' should be stripped of any credentials saying they're "news" or bonafide journalists. they themselves have called themselves 'entertainment'.. (as opposed to 'news'). so lets quit treating them like a real news outlet. their broadcasts are largely fictional, they should get no special treatment, no press passes, or constitutional protections for 'the press'.
ALL religious organizations, including churches, should be investigated for tax fraud, as most are NOT in compliance with the tax code that grants them their special tax free status.