AG Merrick Garland says 'it doesn't matter how far you sail your yacht' after the US helped seize a Russian oligarch's $90 million boat in Spain

• AG Garland said the US will not let up in its efforts to hold Russian oligarchs accountable.
• "It does not matter how far you sail your yacht," he told reporters on Wednesday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Wednesday that the US will go to any lengths to punish those backing Russian President Vladimir Putin as he wages war against Ukraine.

"Our message to those who continue to enable the Russian regime through their criminal conduct is this: It does not matter how far you sail your yacht. It does not matter how well you conceal your assets. It does not matter how cleverly you write your malware or hide your online activity," Garland said during a news conference. "The Justice Department will use every available tool to find you, disrupt your plots, and hold you accountable."

Garland's comments come as the Justice Department ramps up its efforts to investigate and prosecute Putin's enablers. On Monday, Spanish government seized a $90 million megayacht known as "Tango" in the port of Palma de Mallorca at the request of the Justice Department.

FBI agents worked with Spanish authorities on the seizure, and the US says the luxury boat belongs to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, a close Putin ally who leads Renova Group, a conglomerate encompassing metals, mining, tech, and other assets.

The Justice Department on Monday hailed the move as the first time a special DOJ task force took possession of a sanctioned individual's asset since Russia's war began. Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said on Wednesday that it would not be the last.

"In seizing the Tango, the department demonstrated our commitment to holding accountable corrupt Russian oligarchs," Monaco said during the news conference, "a commitment that we are not finished honoring."

Also on Wednesday, the DOJ announced charges against a Russian oligarch, Konstantin Malofeyev, for violating US sanctions.

Russian oligarchs have long spent some of their staggering wealth on art, palatial estates, and megayachts.

US and international lawmakers have called on Western countries to seize these assets to put pressure on Putin's allies. And many of those countries have listened; the Dutch government, for instance, has seized 12 yachts that were still under construction.