The architect’s private helicopter was also confiscated by Italian authorities, who have been on a tear as of late, seizing yachts and other luxury items from Russian nationals associated with President Vladimir Putin. 

Cirillo is well known as the man behind the biggest gem in Putin’s sizable real estate portfolio. In a popular video released in January of last year, imprisoned activist Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation detailed the opulence of the massive 191,000-square-foot Itialiante compound, which reportedly cost around $1.4 billion to construct. 

Despite a direct offer of citizenship from Putin, Cirillo has been residing in his native country for the past several years, bouncing in between his own ornate villas and collecting blue-chip art as he enjoys retirement.

“Like 92–93 percent of Russia’s population, I love our president, and I think he is the right man in the right place in the current world situation,” Cirillo said of his former client in a 2016 interview. “I like Putin because he made Russia a great country again. He has an interesting intuition in foreign policy. He’s a man who loves Russia and the people, I respect that.”