A civil forfeiture complaint has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to seize the Motor Tanker Skipper and about 1.8 million barrels of crude oil. The tanker, which was taken by U.S. authorities on the high seas in December 2025, is alleged to have transported oil supplied by Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), Venezuela’s state-owned oil company. According to the complaint, both the vessel and its cargo are subject to forfeiture as they provided a source of influence over Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Qods Force, which are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated: “Under President Trump’s leadership, the era of secretly bankrolling regimes that pose clear threats to the United States is over. 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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said: “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. 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.”
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia commented: “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. 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.”
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division noted: “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. 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.”
John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security added: “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. This forfeiture complaint reflects the National Security Division’s commitment to shutting down those networks and enforcing U.S. sanctions.”
HSI acting Executive Associate Director John Condon said: “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,” he said. “I am proud of … special agents … whose collaborative efforts were instrumental in advancing this case.” He emphasized HSI’s ongoing commitment “to safeguarding national security … by targeting criminal organizations that threaten global stability.”
The government alleges that since at least 2021, there was an organized effort involving ship-to-ship transfers using false flags or spoofed locations so that crude oil could be shipped from Iran or Venezuela worldwide—including deliveries made directly or indirectly for other sanctioned states such as Syria—and evade detection or enforcement actions related to U.S.-imposed restrictions.
In November 2025 alone, records show that about 1.8 million barrels were loaded onto Skipper at Venezuela’s José Terminal; documents indicate roughly 1.1 million barrels were destined for Cubametales—the Cuban state-run import/export company previously sanctioned by OFAC.
On December 10th last year, authorities seized Skipper on open waters under a judicial warrant while it claimed Guyanese registration—a status deemed false—making it effectively stateless before being brought near Texas.
The investigation involves multiple agencies including FBI Minneapolis Field Office; HSI Washington D.C.; with support from HSI New York Field Office.
Legal proceedings are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Dilorenzo & Rajbir Datta (District of Columbia), Trial Attorney Josh Sohn (Criminal Division’s Money Laundering/Narcotics/Forfeiture Section), Acting Deputy Chief Sean Heiden (National Security Division Counterintelligence/Export Control Section).
It is noted that a civil forfeiture complaint constitutes only an allegation; responsibility lies with federal authorities to prove property is subject to forfeiture under applicable law.