Miami-based businessman Sergey Karpushkin, 46, a resident of the United States and a citizen of Belarus, pleaded guilty on April 25, 2023, to engaging in a scheme to violate U.S. sanctions and commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Karpushkin conspired with others to purchase and receive over $139 million in metal products from companies owned by Sergey Kurchenko, a sanctioned oligarch. Kurchenko was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2015 for his role in misappropriating Ukrainian state assets or economically significant entities.
The alleged scheme took place between July 2017 and August 2020. Karpushkin and his business associates, acting through the Florida-based company Metalhouse LLC, entered into contracts and purchase orders for pig iron, steel billets, and wire rods from Kurchenko’s companies. They received tens of thousands of tons of metal products from these companies and agreed to share profits from these unlawful transactions.
Karpushkin and his business associates intentionally concealed from U.S. banks and government officials the ultimate source and origin of the goods they sought to acquire, knowing that they did not have the necessary authorization or license from OFAC to transact with Kurchenko and companies owned and controlled by Kurchenko.
Karpushkin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to commit international promotional money laundering. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Karpushkin also agreed to forfeit $4,723,625 in proceeds that he obtained as a result of the conspiracy. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Co-conspirator John Can Unsalan, aka Hurrem Can Unsalan, faces charges of conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, violating IEEPA, conspiring to commit international money laundering, and international money laundering. Unsalan has been detained pending further court proceedings.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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