how did russian lawyer natalia veselnitskaya get into us

by Waino Quigley I 7 min read

Veselnitskaya obtained a visa from the State Department to enter the country in June 2016, according to a government filing last week. The filing, which came in response to a new request by Veselnitskaya to be allowed into the U.S. for a Nov. 9 hearing in the now-settled Prevezon case, cited a Fox News

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report from last July.

Full Answer

Is Natalia Veselnitskaya a lawyer or informant?

In an interview with NBC News in April 2017, Veselnitskaya said that she is both a lawyer and an informant who has provided Yury Chaika, the Russian prosecutor general, with information since 2013.

Who is Natalia Veselnitskaya and how did she meet with Switzerland?

According to Swiss news sources, a Swiss agent and Russia specialist from the Federal Office of Police, investigating the Prevezon transaction from a Magnitsky Act violation, travelled privately to Moscow in December 2016 with his diplomatic passport, where he met Veselnitskaya.

Who is Katerina Veselnitskaya and why was she arrested?

On 8 January 2019, Veselnitskaya was indicted in the United States with obstruction of justice charges for allegedly having attempted to thwart the Justice Department investigation into the money laundering charges against Katsyv.

Who is Veselnitskaya?

"Veselnitskaya, Russian in Trump Tower Meeting, Is Charged in Case That Shows Kremlin Ties". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2019. ^ Сухотин, Андрей (Sukhotin, Andrei) (3 March 2012).

When did Veselnitskaya graduate from the Moscow State Legal Academy?

Veselnitskaya has said that she graduated with distinction from the Moscow State Legal Academy in 1998. She attests that she was then employed for a period by the prosecutor's office in Moscow Oblast, where she worked on legislation, and claims to have won over 300 legal cases. Veselnitskaya switched to private practice, ...

What is Natalia Veselnitskaya's name?

Natalia Veselnitskaya. In this Eastern Slavic naming convention, the patronymic is Vladimirovna and the family name is Veselnitskaya. Veselnitskaya attends a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Russia in 2016.

What did Donald Trump Jr. say about the Magnitsky meeting?

Regarding the meeting, Trump Jr. initially wrote, "I love it" but, in July 2017, said the meeting "was a waste of time". Donald Trump Jr. said that Veselnitskaya used the meeting to criticize the Magnitsky Act.

Why was Veselnitskaya indicted?

On 8 January 2019, Veselnitskaya was indicted in the United States with obstruction of justice charges for allegedly having attempted to thwart the Justice Department investigation into the money laundering charges against Katsyv.

What did Akmetshin do in the Soviet Union?

From 1986 to 1988, Akmetshin served in the Soviet Army, where he obtained the rank of sergeant and worked in a counterintelligence unit for the KGB. Veselnitskaya's campaign included an unsuccessful attempt in Washington to repeal the Magnitsky Act and to "keep Mr. Magnitsky’s name off the law".

What is the case against Veselnitskaya?

Attorney for the Southern District Court of New York, in connection with a 2015 money laundering case.

Where did Vladimir Veselnitskaya travel?

According to Swiss news sources, a Swiss agent and Russia specialist from the Federal Office of Police, investigating the Prevezon transaction from a Magnitsky Act violation, travelled privately to Moscow in December 2016 with his diplomatic passport, where he met Veselnitskaya.

Who is the Russian prosecutor who is connected to Veselnitskaya?

In a July 14 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Veselnitskaya admitted to having a connection to Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, with whom she said she has shared information related to the Magnitsky Act, or rather to the supposed con artistry of Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management.

What was Veselnitskaya's role in the case?

Veselnitskaya was best known in the US for defending Prevezon Holdings Ltd., a Cypriot company accused by the US Justice Department, in a civil forfeiture action, of being a front for washing ill-gotten cash in the Manhattan property market. The case was settled out of court in May, with the offshore company agreeing to pay $5.9 million while not admitting to any wrongdoing.

How many cases has Veselnitskaya won?

Veselnitskaya said in a declaration filed in US federal court, that she has “argued and won more than 300 cases [in Russia] on corporate tax and property law.” Today, she runs Kamerton Consulting, a Moscow-based law firm, which she says employs 30 people, including five attorneys, with “large state-owned and private corporations” as clients.

Where did Veselnitskaya go to lobby?

Veselnitskaya then traveled to Washington to continue her efforts to lobby against the anti-Russian law, attending a movie screening, a congressional hearing on Russia and a dinner that included at least one Republican congressman, The Hill has reported.

Did Natalia Veselnitskaya get a visa?

It also said Veselnitskaya eventually won a nonimmigrant work visa around the time she met President Trump.

Overview

Natalia Vladimirovna Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer. Her clients include Pyotr Katsyv, an official in the state-owned Russian Railways, and his son Denis Katsyv, whom she defended against a money laundering charge in New York. On 8 January 2019, Veselnitskaya was indicted in the United States with obstruction of justice charges for allegedly having attempted to thwart the Justice Depart…

Education and career

Veselnitskaya has said that she graduated with distinction from the Moscow State Legal Academy in 1998. She attests that she was then employed for a period by the prosecutor's office in Moscow Oblast, where she worked on legislation, and claims to have won over 300 legal cases. Veselnitskaya switched to private practice, focusing on land deals in the expanding Moscow suburbs.

Advocacy against the Magnitsky Act

In 2009, Sergei Magnitsky, a tax accountant who had accused Moscow law enforcement of stealing $230 million in tax rebates from his client, was beaten to death in jail. In 2012, Magnitsky's client, Bill Browder, secured passage of the American Magnitsky Act, which imposed sanctions on the officials involved. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded with the Dima Yakovlev Law bannin…

Personal life

Veselnitskaya was formerly married to Aleksandr Mitusov (Russian: Александр Митусов), a former deputy transportation minister of the Moscow area while Petr Katsyv, Denis Katsyv's father, was the main director.

U.S. Indictment

In January 2019, Veselnitskaya was charged with one count of obstruction of justice.

See also

• Russian espionage in the United States
• Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections