Viktor Vekselberg is a Russian oligarch who is about to become a familiar name to the American public. Vekselberg is being accused of giving $500,000 to Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who is currently under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller in the ongoing FBI probe into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 United States presidential election. There are now questions to whether that money was used to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels to remain silent about her alleged fair with Trump. The money was reportedly funneled to Cohen through shell companies like Columbus Nova, which is run by the Russian Billionaire. The money was deposited to an account for Essential Consultants, which is the company Cohen used to pay Daniels $130,000.
There are plenty of questions that need to be answered, but for many, the first question is simply: who is Viktor Vekselberg?
Well, he is worth nearly $15 billion — yes, with a “B” — and has close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
How much is Vekselberg worth in 2018?
Viktor Vekselberg Net Worth 2018: $13.5 billion
According to Forbes.com, Vekselberg is worth a whopping $13.5 billion. Vekselberg made his first million dollars by selling scrap copper from worn-out cables, before being aluminem smelters and bauxite mines to form Sual Holding. Eventually, Vekselberg merged with another billionaire, Oleg Deripaska to form UC Rusal. From then on, the business thrived and Vekselberg eventually sold his stake for $7 billion.
Vekselberg is the fourth richest man in Russia.
About Viktor Vekselberg
Viktor Felixovich Vekselberg was born April 14, 1957, in Drohobych Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. He was born to a Ukrainian Jewish father and a Russian mother. Eventually, after moving to Moscow, Vekselberg graduated from Moscow Transportation Engineering Institute. The businessman worked his way up the ranks and is now the owner and president of Renova Group. Vekselberg has close ties to Vladimir Putin and the Moscow Kremlin, overseeing projects that modernize the Russian economy. Vekselberg is one of the 24 Russian nationals to receive sanctions from the United States government. He was also questioned at a New York airport by members of Robert Mueller’s special counsel of investigators.