U.S. Moves to Forfeit “M/T Skipper” Oil Tanker and 1.8M Barrels of Venezuelan Crude in Iran Sanctions Case
The U.S. Department of Justice says it has filed a civil forfeiture complaint in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to forfeit the crude-oil tanker M/T Skipper and roughly 1.8 million barrels of crude oil allegedly tied to a sanctions-evasion network benefiting Iran’s IRGC (including the IRGC-Qods Force) and involving Venezuelan state oil company PdVSA. According to the DOJ, the vessel—described as part of a “ghost” or “shadow” fleet—used tactics such as spoofed locations and false flags to move oil from Iran and Venezuela through ship-to-ship transfers worldwide, and was seized on the high seas in December 2025 before being taken to waters off Texas; officials say the action underscores stepped-up enforcement against maritime sanctions evasion and terrorist financing, while noting the complaint’s allegations must be proven in court.
A complaint has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to forfeit the Motor Tanker Skipper – a crude oil tanker seized by the United States on the high seas in December 2025 – and approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude oil cargo supplied by Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the state-owned oil company of Venezuela. As alleged, the Skipper and its cargo are forfeitable as property affording a person a source of influence over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the era of secretly bankrolling regimes that pose clear threats to the United States is over,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will deploy every legal authority at our disposal to completely dismantle and permanently shutter any operation that defies our laws and fuels chaos across the globe.”
“This forfeiture complaint for the M/T Skipper and its oil cargo demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. sanctions and thwarting hostile regimes who exploit the global oil trade,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI, working alongside our interagency partners, will continue aggressively identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the financial networks used by our foreign adversaries to fund terrorist organizations and destabilize international security. We remain steadfast in safeguarding both the integrity of the international financial system and the security of the American people.”
“Because of the coordinated efforts of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, a ghost tanker that for years secretly moved illicit oil from Iran and Venezuela around the globe has been taken off the seas,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s actions are an important step in making America and the world safer by disrupting the flow of millions of dollars to foreign terrorist organizations. The Criminal Division will continue to use every tool at our disposal to end to terrorist financing.”
“For too long, a shadow fleet of stateless and falsely registered vessels has operated with impunity while shuttling illicit oil around the world, generating billions in revenue for adversary regimes and foreign terrorist organizations,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “This forfeiture complaint reflects the National Security Division’s commitment to shutting down those networks and enforcing U.S. sanctions.”
“We will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran and relentlessly pursue ghost fleet vessels whose illicit oil shipments have served as revenue sources for the IRGC and its terrorist proxies,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “With the continued seizures and forfeitures of tankers and related profits, we are sending a clear message that there will be no safe harbor for sanctions evasion – and that we will deny Iran the ability to fund terrorism through its shadowy maritime networks.”
“Homeland Security Investigations played a critical role in the investigation that led to today’s forfeiture complaint against the Motor Tanker Skipper and its illicit cargo. By leveraging our expertise, partnerships, and unwavering commitment to protecting the homeland, HSI helped disrupt a complex sanctions-evasion and illicit finance network supporting designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” said HSI acting Executive Associate Director John Condon. “I am proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by our special agents and law enforcement partners, whose collaborative efforts were instrumental in advancing this case. HSI remains committed to safeguarding national security and upholding the rule of law by targeting criminal organizations that threaten global stability.”
The forfeiture complaint alleges a scheme, between at least 2021 and the present, to facilitate the shipment and sale of petroleum products for the benefit of the IRGC, including the IRGC-QF. During this time, the Skipper moved crude oil from Iran and Venezuela and, through ship-to-ship transfers, delivered it to various locations around the world, including to other rogue regimes. The Skipper disguised its illicit activities by spoofing its locations, flying false flags and employing other tactics to obfuscate its routes and conceal its sanctions evasion. For example, as alleged in the complaint, in 2024, the Skipper delivered approximately three million barrels of crude oil from Iran to Syria. The Skipper continued to transport illicit oil from Iran and Venezuela into 2025, including loading oil from Iran at least twice in 2025. For its facilitation of illicit oil shipments, on Nov. 3, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Skipper (then named the Adisa).
The civil forfeiture complaint further alleges that the petroleum product, which was loaded onto the Skipper from Venezuela before it was seized, is part of the Skipper’s scheme to perpetuate its operations in support of the IRGC, including the IRGC-QF. As alleged, revenue from the sale of petroleum products supports the IRGC’s full range of malign activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, support for terrorism and both domestic and international human rights abuses. The ghost fleet, including the Skipper, plays an essential role in generating revenue for these regimes by moving Iranian and other illicit oil around the world.
Most recently, in November 2025, the Skipper loaded approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan-origin crude oil at the José Terminal in Venezuela. According to bills of lading, approximately 1.1 million barrels of the Skipper’s oil cargo were to be delivered to Cubametales, the Cuban state-run oil import and export company that was designated by OFAC in July 2019.
On Dec. 10, 2025, U.S. law enforcement seized the Skipper on the high seas pursuant to a judicially authorized seizure warrant. At that time, the Skipper was claiming a false Guyanese flag, rendering it stateless. The Skipper and its cargo were thereafter transported to the waters off the coast of Texas.
FBI Minneapolis Field Office and HSI Washington D.C. Field Office are investigating the case. Substantial assistance was provided by HSI New York Field Office.
Trial Attorney Josh Sohn of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Dilorenzo and Rajbir Datta of the District of Columbia and Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are litigating the case.
A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation. The burden to prove forfeitability in a civil forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
February 27, 2026
FBI Office of Public Affairs
Sources: FBI , Midtown Tribune news
Sources: justice.gov , Midtown Tribune News
