| For Sanctions
Violating for Russian Kostin
Vadim Wolfson on $1M Bond Filter
Team Fight
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
SDNY
COURTHOUSE,
April 22 – Vadim
Wolfson, charged with
violating US sanctions for and
with Andrey Kostin, was
arraigned on March 18 before
U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Magistrate Judge Gary Stein.
Inner City Press was there,
the only media in the SDNY Mag
Court, and got some exclusive
material, link below.
Thread:
Vadim Wolfson has
retained counsel (with two
more in the gallery).
Judge Stein:
Welcome to the SDNY.
We are here for
an arraignment. Mr. Wolfson
you are charged with
conspiracy to violate IEEPA,
with regard to Mr.
KostinJudge: The indictment
references $12 million
transferred to Mr. Kostin. You
are alleged to have caused US
persons including US financial
institutions to deal with Mr.
Kostin which they were not
permitted do, and using a
shell entity. There's a
forfeiture allegation
Judge: How do you
plead? Vadim Wolfson: Not
guilty. AUSA: We have agreed
to a $1 million bond, 50%
secured. We want 2 financially
responsible co-signers, he
wants one. Also, we want GPS
monitoring. Travel limited to
WDTX, SDNY and EDNY - also
CDCA for business
AUSA: We
believe there is a risk of
flight. As the pre-trial
services report reflects, he
has only resided in the US
since 2020. He has passports
from Russia, Cyprus, Israel
and the US. He has lived in
Russia and Cyprus, extradition
is difficult.AUSA: He has
family living in Germany and
Russia, and business in the
UK. He had assets for $13
million, now updated to $20
million. He could flee... This
concerns a house in Aspen,
there is evidence he
transferred to an entity under
Kostin's control
AUSA: Their
relation goes back for years.
The defendant's employee
acknowledged that Andre Kostin
had been sanctions. They had
the property manager sign a
NDA, about any prior owners
Judge: Are there sizable
assets outside the US? AUSA:
Not listed - but yes
Judge: What
happened in the WDTX? AUSA: My
understanding is the
Magistrate Judge thought we
should have asked to detain
him, so didn't impose GPS [?]
Wolfson's lawyer: Mr. Wolfson
when asked not to by the US
not to travel to Israel, did
not
Wolfson's lawyer:
There was a real estate
transaction prior to Mr.
Kostin being put on the list.
Mr. Wolfson dealt with a
Russian financial institution
not on the list. There is no
evidence to support mens rea.
His business partner in LA
will co-sign.Wolfson's lawyer:
My client owns 2 properties in
Austin, Texas. He has ties
here. Judge: How would curfew
be a burden?
Wolfson's lawyer:
He does business in LA, he
could not fly. Judge:
He's wear the GPS monitor at
meetings? Wolfson's lawyer:
The 8 pm curfew
AUSA: If there
needed to be an exception to
the curfew for trial,
Pre-Trial could approve it.
There was an occasion he were
alerted, not by him, that he
had booked travel to Israel.
There is significant
international travel in 2023
to France and the Netherlands
Wolfson's
lawyer: That was the 2023 trip
to Israel and Cyprus. There
were no surprises. Judge: You
cannot find a second
co-signer? What about his
wife?
AUSA: We could
consider that. Wolfson's
lawyer: We want approval for
contact with the CFO [named -
links below]
Judge: I don't
see a condition here of
seeking or continuing
employment. Would you have a
problem with that? Wolfson's
lawyer: No, Your Honor.
[Judge takes Pre-Trial into
robing room - thread will
continue - other lawyers now
here for other cases
Judge is
back, all rise! Judge: I
believe that electronic
monitoring is required in this
case given the risk of flight.
So I will order that Mr.
Wolfson is to sign a $1
million bond and be subject to
GPS location monitoring and a
curfew [Now his lawyer
whispering
Judge: I
understand that Mr. Wolfson's
firearms have been placed in a
storage locker under the
control of his wife. That's
different than surrender to
law enforcement AUSA: He is
willing to surrender them to
law enforcement, he says
Judge: No
new bank accounts without
permission, is that a problem?
Wolfson's lawyer: He's been
notified by two banks they
will close his accounts. He
has identified two new banks,
this weekJudge: OK, those are
the conditions. [Wolfson
leaves with his 3 lawyers, to
sign his bond and get GPS
location monitor installed on
his ankle]
Judge: No contact
with witnesses except the CFO
[identified in
court, and now on X for
Subscribers here
and Substack here
On March 19,
Wolfson appeared with a
co-defendant (not Kostin) and
got his next date in June:
"proceedings held before Judge
Gregory H. Woods: Pretrial
Conference as to Vadim
Wolfson, Gannon Bond held on
3/19/2024. Initial
Conference held. A next status
conference is scheduled for
June 25, 2024, at 10:00 a.m."
On April 22,
Wolfson's counsel filed a
complaint about the
prosecutors' filter team and
its asserted lack of
transparency. He wants to be
show his list of attorney's
only to the filter team and
not the prosecution team.
Inner City Press will continue
to cover the case
The case is US v.
Kostin, et al., 24-cr-91
(Woods / Stein)
***
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