Russian TV Host and Trump Campaign Advisor Charged with Violating Sanctions

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Dmitry Simms, a Russian TV host and advisor to Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, along with his wife, Anastasia Simms, with violating sanctions against Russia. According to an indictment released on Thursday, September 6, the couple, who previously resided in Virginia, is accused of conspiracy to violate sanctions and money laundering. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the maximum penalty for each of these charges is 20 years in prison. FBI agents raided the couple's home in Virginia on August 17, after which the Department of Justice stated that they participated in violating sanctions by providing services to 'Channel One,' a Russian state television network that has been under U.S. sanctions since 2022. According to the Department of Justice, Dmitry Simms was a host and producer for this network, receiving a salary of one million dollars, a personal vehicle with a driver, an allowance for an apartment in Moscow, and a team of ten people. Dmitry Simms, 76, organized a significant speech for Donald Trump in 2016, in which Trump outlined a vision for greater cooperation with Russia. According to a 2019 report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was tasked with investigating potential collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia, Dmitry Simms had also written a letter to Jared Kushner, Trump’s advisor and son-in-law, addressing topics related to Russia in Trump’s speech. The Department of Justice also issued a separate indictment naming only Anastasia Simms, accusing her of participating in a scheme in collaboration with Alexander Odov, a well-known Russian oligarch, through the purchase, sale, and shipment of artworks from the United States to Russia. According to the Department of Justice announcement, the couple is believed to currently be in Russia. Dmitry Simms immigrated to the United States in 1973 and later became a citizen. He worked as an informal advisor to former U.S. President Richard Nixon and regularly traveled with Nixon to the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries. Nixon appointed Simms as the head of a think tank in 1994, which was then called the 'Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom' and later renamed the 'Center for the National Interest.' He led this center until 2022 and then became a TV host.