Miami real estate broker Roman Sinyavsky is facing up to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty Thursday to a money laundering and sanctions evasion scheme involving luxury condominiums owned by two Russian nationals.
The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, where two units were seized by the Department of Justice last week.
Sinyavsky agreed to forfeit $182K of profits he made from the properties and pay more than $1M in civil penalties after admitting he managed, leased and sold two condos at The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour at 10295 Collins Ave. on behalf of Russian oligarchs Viktor Perevalov and Valerie Abramov, according to statements and documents from the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The two Russian nationals were prohibited from owning property in the U.S. starting in 2018 when they were sanctioned for their ownership of Russian construction company VAD, AO, which built a highway in the Russia-occupied Crimea region of Ukraine.
Text messages revealed in OFAC’s release show Sinyavsky, who founded Family International Realty LLC in 2002, was working with Perevalov and Abramov before they were sanctioned and helped them disguise their investments to try to avoid their seizure.
Sinyavsky warned Abramov in one text message, “It will soon be forbidden to deal with you…I talked with people who know [about this issue] here.”
Perevalov purchased Units 1616 and 1617 in The Ritz-Carlton in 2008 but transferred it to a limited liability company in 2018 registered to one of his children, who was a minor at the time. Sinyavsky was then paid to rent out the units as luxury rentals over five years, generating more than $840K in revenue, according to the settlement.
He also called Perevalov and warned him about the sanctions, according to the release.
Sinyavsky didn’t respond to Bisnow’s request for comment.
The Justice Department in February filed a complaint for civil forfeiture of Units 1616 and 1617 at The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, but the identity of the broker who allowed them to flout the sanctions hasn’t previously been revealed.
The DOJ last week seized ownership of the two units, which it said have a combined value of $1.8M. OFAC officials wrote the property was acquired and maintained using funds tied to money laundering and embezzlement.
“The conduct at issue in this case highlights the role that gatekeepers — including realtors, investment advisers, attorneys, and trust and corporate services providers — can play in enabling sanctions evasion,” the OFAC release says.
Abramov hired Sinyavsky to sell his Miami condo, which was transferred to an LLC controlled by his wife following the sanctions. The broker sold the property to an all-cash buyer for $1.2M in 2019.
In total, Sinyavsky collected more than $182K in commissions and revenue from his work with the oligarchs.
Sinyavsky has worked as a broker in Miami luxury real estate for almost 30 years, focusing on areas like Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour and Miami Beach, according to an archived version of his website, which has been taken down since the guilty plea.
“Roman has worked with every type of client, from first-time home buyers to foreign investors. He has worked with many prominent South Florida developers, from Jorge Perez of Related Group to Gil Dezer of Dezer Development,” the website said. “He has established relationships with brokers and agents across South Florida, allowing mutual priority access to listings. Roman has extensive experience in condo hotels, including privately owned residences within the Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, W, 1Hotel, etc.”