FBI agents raid DC home of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska: report

FBI agents on Tuesday reportedly raided the home of Russian aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska, an oligarch linked to President Donald Trump's disgraced former campaign director Paul Manafort.

"The FBI is conducting 'law enforcement activity' at the Washington D.C. home of Oleg Deripaska," tweeted NBC News reporter Tom Winter, citing a FBI spokesperson.

"NBC News is outside the home where a number of federal agents have gathered and are restricting access to the property."

Deripaska and Manafort did business together in the mid-2000s. Manafort has since been convicted in the US of financial crimes related to political work he did in Ukraine before the 2016 election as well as witness tampering. Manafort has also admitted to providing polling data to a Russian with intelligence ties during the 2016 presidential race.

Deripaska is considered to be a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018.

"Deripaska has said that he does not separate himself from the Russian state," the Department said in a statement. "He has also acknowledged possessing a Russian diplomatic passport, and claims to have represented the Russian government in other countries.

"Deripaska has been investigated for money laundering, and has been accused of threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering. There are also allegations that Deripaska bribed a government official, ordered the murder of a businessman, and had links to a Russian organized crime group."

With additional reporting from AFP