Senate Investigation Finds Art Market Secrecy Allowed Russian Billionaire Brothers (Rotenbergs), Friends of Putin, to Evade Government Sanctions

A July 2020 bipartisan U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report found that sanctioned Russian oligarchs Arkady and Boris Rotenberg spent approximately $18.4 million on art and antiques through major auction houses — including Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips, and Bonhams — despite being subject to U.S. sanctions. The 150-page report concluded that the absence of anti-money laundering obligations on the art market allowed the Rotenbergs, via Moscow-based art dealer Gregory Baltser, to evade sanctions and launder money with impunity.