On Thursday, Jack Hanick, who worked with Fox News in the past, was charged for violating U.S. sanctions by the Justice Department. He has been working with Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, who is a person facing U.S. sanctions.
Hanick has been provisionally arrested in London, on February 3. The former director had been working with the Russian oligarch for several years. He had also made statements about their relationship that were found to be false, for which there is a maximum penalty of five years. However, the sanctions charge has a much higher penalty of a 20-year prison term.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a press release that the indictment that was unsealed revealed the “Office’s commitment to the enforcement of laws” that would prevent people from using their “wealth to undermine fundamental democratic processes.”
He added that the office would remain a leader in the work done by the Justice Department “to hold accountable actors who would support flagrant and unjustified acts of war.”
The Russian oligarch had been sanctioned before as he had threatened Ukraine. Malofeyev had also extended financial support to the separatist region of Donetsk. The department said that Hanick was aware of this and had “knowingly chosen” to help the Russian to spread “destabilizing messages.” There were also attempts made to set up TV networks across countries such as Russia, Bulgaria and Greece.
Malofeyev was designated as a “Specially Designated National” for financing Russians who promoted separatism in Crimea, in December 2014, by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Hanick started working directly with the Russian sometime in 2013, after initially traveled to Russia early in the same year for negotiations. In a year’s time he reported directly to Malofeyev. He continued working up to 2017, as board chairman and general advisor, from 2015 to 2017, according to emails and helped in operations of the right-wing TV–Tsargrad TV.
John Hannick had worked with Fox News during its initial launch in 1996. He left the network in 2011.
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