Russian owner of luxury South Florida portfolio revealed as high-ranking ex-general

The owner of a $38 million real estate portfolio in South Florida allegedly made his fortune as part of a corrupt elite law enforcement team in Russia, according to a Miami Herald investigation.

Former Russian general Anatoly Petukhov has been accused of shaking down investors as a trade for protection from criminals. In court filings, Petukhov, who broke ground about a year ago on a $17 million spec home in Miami Beach, allegedly extorted shareholders of Yasenevo United Trading House millions of dollars, according to the Herald.

The 2013 lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County in 2013, sought more than $50 million in damages and fees, in addition to putting Petukhov’s Miami-area properties into a trust. But both parties settled in 2014 and Yasenevo withdrew the allegations. Months later, Yasenevo sold its Moscow department stores in a deal valued at up to $160 million. A Russian newspaper reported Petukhov owned a 25 percent stake in the company before the sale.

The now retired policeman has grown his portfolio of South Florida real estate. He spent $3 million on a condo at the Continuum, $13.6 million on office buildings in Miami-Dade and Broward, 1.5 million on retail space in Hallandale Beach and millions on a Fort Lauderdale strip mall. A Hallandale Beach Realtor who represents Petukhov declined to comment to the Herald.

Real estate agents, unlike in other industries, aren’t required to know their clients, but the Treasury Department has been working to crack down on money laundering in residential real estate in cities like Miami and New York. [Miami Herald] – Katherine Kallergis