The USA vs Amadea is a courtroom drama of gargantuan proportions. Without the sinister violence, it’s turning out to be the superyacht industry’s The People vs O. J. Simpson, just swapping the white Bronco on the freeway for a shiny hull in Fiji. The legal battle is drenched in power, money and political grandstanding, and what happens next will likely have a seismic effect on our industry and global political discourse.

In a world already teetering on the edge of a global order restructure, what happens to Amadea next could be a focal point of the future relationship between the US, Russia and European governments.

Judge Dale Ho’s ruling is an 80-page legal hammer blow, stripping former Rosneft CEO Eduard Khudainatov of any legitimate claim to Amadea and declaring that it was always under the control of sanctioned Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. His decision paves the way for the US to auction off the yacht, but not without controversy. The evidence is complicated, murky and, in places, circumstantial, leading many to question whether this is about legal justice or about making an example out of Amadea.

Speaking to SuperyachtNews, people with in-depth knowledge of the case have explained the abundance of evidence favouring the Department of Justice. Equally, parties from the claimant’s corner have remained steadfast in their plight. But what has become painstakingly clear throughout our investigation is that on a grassroots level, it’s the people who turn up to work every day to make the boat run that suffer.

However, this is a high-profile victory for the US government, a big scalp in its campaign against Russian oligarchs. In a statement provided to SuperyachtNews, Adam Ford, Counsel for Khudainatov’s supposed owner, says it’s a “miscarriage of justice” that he vows to fight beyond American courts.

“The decision relies on a flawed interpretation of standing that prevents him from defending his rightful ownership of his property. Rather than engaging with the overwhelming evidence supporting his claim, the court has relied on procedural technicalities to shield the US government’s unlawful actions from meaningful judicial scrutiny,” he says.

“This ruling is legally and factually unsound. It misapplies standing doctrine to deny Mr Khudainatov access to the courts, setting a dangerous precedent that property can be seized and disposed of without affording the rightful owner due process.”

Behind the judgement lies a network of offshore structures, opaque financial movements and a crew caught in the crossfire. Ultimately, the court concluded that in September 2021, a €225 million payment from Kerimov’s niece, Alisa Gadzhieva, transferred all meaningful control of Amadea to her entity, Errigal Marine. Millemarin, the company tied to Khudainatov, held the bare legal title but not operational or beneficial ownership.

The judge wasn’t convinced by the defence’s claim that Gadzhieva was merely chartering the vessel. “The ‘Charter Agreement’ has no probative value,” the ruling reads. The court found that “the preponderance of the evidence” indicated that Amadea was used by the Kerimov family from that point forward and concluded that all other incidents of ownership, possession, control and financial interest had passed to them.

“I wouldn’t say the FBI, DOJ or US marshals doctored anything, but they were clearly looking for evidence to support a decision already made.”

Khudainatov’s refusal to testify may have sealed the ruling or at least added fuel to the fire. He skipped three depositions and his declaration was ruled inadmissible. “Despite being afforded ample opportunities to testify …  Khudainatov failed to attend his duly noticed depositions,” Judge Ho wrote.

Instead, the court leaned heavily on financial records, on-board activity logs and expert assessments, including testimony from Dr Anders Åslund, who argued that it was “implausible” for Khudainatov to have afforded the yacht at all. The court also noted that Gadzhieva, who made the payments, had no independent wealth. So the money had to come from somewhere and the court decided it came from Kerimov.

Whilst some sources previously reported that the DOJ and FBI had mishandled testimony and were accused of “lying”, other sources claim the contrary. In fact, SuperyachtNews understands hundreds of documents were allegedly found on board Amadea that pointed clearly to Kerimov as the UBO.

“I wouldn’t say the FBI, DOJ or US marshals doctored anything,” says one insider, “but they were clearly looking for evidence to support a decision already made. Like with the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, they eventually found spent uranium rods. It was more about making the call and finding evidence to back it. In my opinion, however, nothing was forced or incorrect. But the sequencing of the evidence reflected actions already in motion.”

One senior figure involved in the takeover described investigators’ challenges when linking the vessel to its alleged beneficial owner.

“There wasn’t a lot there. When authorities went on board, they looked at pantry items, checked laundry tags and tried to find any detail that might link the yacht to its user. But yachts don’t lend themselves to that kind of forensic ownership unless they’re private, with family photos and personal effects on display. Amadea wasn’t like that. It wasn’t down to any coordinated cover-up by the Russian-employed crew. It’s just the way yachts of this size and profile operate. That said, it did appear that there had been deletion and removal of items that might have established a connection to usage or control.”

The source, who gave deposition testimony during the case, added: “I didn’t assert anything like that because you can’t make evidential claims about things not being there. The absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence. From what I saw, things looked thinned out, but that’s an observation, not a legal statement.”

The DOJ board Amadea in Fiji.

The courtroom only tells part of the story. What set this seizure apart was its political positioning. But ultimately, it’s the people who turn up to work who suffer.

SuperyachtNews understands that from the moment the yacht was seized in Fiji, the atmosphere on board was far from clear-cut. The crew were in a fog of uncertainty. Some were reportedly advised to disable systems or strip out hardware. Others believed their jobs were secure if they stayed loyal to their employer. All of them were wrong.

“They had been given letters guaranteeing employment, above-market pay,” one individual says. “But it just wasn’t real.”

There was also a lot of confusion about what would happen to the vessel, whether it would stay in Fiji or simply be let go. According to sources, Amadea was initially arrested on the grounds that it didn’t check in with the Port Authority before stopping for a barbeque upon entry to the island. This subsequent arrest is a fairly standard ‘speeding ticket’-like approach, where a fine is paid and the boat is released. But this gave the US Marshal grounds to board the vessel. That may turn out to be the most expensive barbeque of all time.

Once the DOJ boarded, the writing was on the wall, only for that to be hammered home when President Joe Biden mentioned in a presidential speech that they had captured a sanctioned Russian vessel. One source close to the DOJ crew recalled that moment clearly, saying, “There was no way it wasn’t going through after that. Too many people had skin in the game.” Amadea was a trophy and a big one.

Despite the tension, the crew didn’t resist when US agents came aboard. Meals were being cooked, the cabins were clean. The handover, while awkward, was operational. Some insiders have disclosed that, at the end of the day, the crew were just mariners doing a job. Yes, there was a lot of politics at play, but day to day, it was just about making sure people had clean cabins and could eat dinner.

“We were hot-swapping crews, with the DOJ replacing the Russian crew, and they needed places to sleep, to eat,” explains someone on board at the time. “Captain John Walsh came back and said, ‘Already done. It’s cabin-cleaning day, and the chefs are making dinner for whichever crew’s on board’. That one line summed it up for me. It didn’t matter which crew, Russian or DOJ, it was just mariners looking after mariners, people doing a job.”

With the civil forfeiture ruling in the DOJ’s favour, the government technically has the legal right to sell the vessel. However, if the US attempts to move or sell Amadea, that transaction may not be recognised beyond American jurisdiction.

Khudainatov’s team has since pushed back. Ford continues to argue that the court sidestepped the actual evidence by focusing on procedural standing. With the civil forfeiture ruling in the DOJ’s favour, the government technically has the legal right to sell the vessel. However, Ford has warned that if the US attempts to move or sell Amadea, that transaction may not be recognised beyond American jurisdiction. “If the vessel is taken beyond US jurisdiction,” he writes, “its rightful ownership – and the flaws in this ruling – may be subject to legal challenges in international courts or other jurisdictions that do not recognise the United States’ unilateral actions.”

It sets the stage for a broader fight and another chapter in the courtroom drama. Amadea remains docked in San Diego, racking up hundreds of thousands per month in maintenance. There is also the broader question of what the current administration will do with the vessel. The days of a rivalry stemming from the Cold War seemed to be thawing, and once-heated hostilities cooled to lukewarm exchanges of presidential portraits.

“Now that Khudainatov’s out of the picture, the government’s position is that Kerimov owns the yacht,” says one insider. “So from their perspective, the job’s done. It clears the way for Amadea to be auctioned off as a seized asset. But that next step isn’t straightforward. It’ll likely go to appeal first, and even if it doesn’t, the political climate is changing fast. A year ago, Russia was the target. Now? That’s more complicated. You can imagine a scenario where a future administration, maybe even this one, decides to soften its stance and hand the yacht back. Stranger things have happened.”

The other possibility is more pragmatic. “This vessel costs over a million dollars a month just to sit still. That’s a big ask on the public purse. There’s always the chance the government quietly offers a deal.”

Much remains unresolved. Would a second Trump administration double down on forfeitures or reverse course? Could the case become entangled in broader questions about the limits of American jurisdiction? And what happens to the next yacht caught in the crosshairs? As those questions build, returning to the people still on board is worth it. The crew were neither oligarchs nor agents; they didn’t design shell companies or sign charter agreements, they cleaned cabins, updated inventories and logged hours. And who, in the middle of an international legal and political struggle, were just trying to do their jobs.

In the meantime, Khudainatov looks to continue the fight, with Ford “confident” that the decision will not stand at an appeal.

“However, while we will continue to fight this injustice through the US legal system, we are also prepared to challenge any illegitimate sale or transfer through international legal channels. This is not just about reclaiming what is rightfully Mr.Khudainatov’s, it is about upholding fundamental principles of property rights and due process that extend beyond the reach of any single government,” he says.

“This fight is far from over. Mr Khudainatov remains resolute in his commitment to reclaiming his property, and we will continue to pursue every available avenue – both within the United States and beyond – to ensure that justice prevails.”

For now, Amadea sits still. But the story isn’t going anywhere.

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