U.S. Seizes New York City Borough Belonging To Russian Oligarch

NEW YORK—Saying the billionaire had used the asset as his own private pleasure island for decades, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday that it had seized a New York City borough belonging to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. “When Usmanov bought this borough in the late ’90s, it was a flagrant display of the sort of ill-begotten gains Putin and his corrupt cronies have amassed, and in the face of the unjust war in Ukraine, it was time to hold them accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland, noting that the 22.7-square-mile luxury island—nicknamed Manhattan by Usmanov—had been sitting vacant for years before the purchase to artificially inflate its price. “Once Usmanov got wind of the seizure, he attempted to move the borough into the Maldives. Thankfully, we were able to freeze his assets in time, which also included a lavish expansion he had started building into the neighboring borough of the Bronx.” At press time, Jeff Bezos had purchased the seized borough at auction for $1.74 trillion.