US citizen charged with violating Crimea-related sanctions

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. prosecutors say a former CNBC and Fox News employee has been arrested in London for his work as a television producer for a Russian media baron tied to aggression in Ukraine. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Thursday it’s the first-ever criminal indictment charging a violation of U.S. sanctions resulting from Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Attorneys for 71-year-old Jack Hanick didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. If he is successfully extradited, the sanctions charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney said Hanick worked for years for the founder of a Russian Orthodox news channel, even after U.S. sanctions banned American citizens from working for or doing business with him.