Former President Trump associate Felix Sater must pay $14,000 a month in temporary alimony to his estranged wife, a judge ruled Thursday — after finding he had been splashing cash on restaurants and Ubers.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Laura Drager made the interim award to his ex Viktoria Sater — who filed for divorce in March — after reviewing his 2018 tax returns.
The judge said the docs showed that although he reported a substantial operating loss, he still made nearly $1 million in profits at two of his companies.
Drager said this “substantiates to the court … that the defendant [Felix] does have financial resources contrary to his claims.”
Felix’s April credit card statement showed that he’d made a $50,000 payment for the prior month and had spent $25,000 in the current statement, including at restaurants and “a lot of money” on Uber rides, Drager said.
“It does seem to me that the defendant has resources and is bringing in income and his spending habits,” which Drager said may be less than they used to be, “are still quite significant.”
Drager also ordered Felix to pay $100,000 of Viktoria’s legal fees and $15,000 for her medical bills.
Felix Sater waits in the hall outside his divorce hearing.William FarringtonFelix — a Russian-born American who was convicted for a stock fraud scheme in 1998 that was linked to the mafia — played a role in the failed proposal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. He’s been a major government cooperator and was a witness in the Mueller investigation.
Drager acknowledged the 53-year-old may have some financial troubles due to the fact that he was involved in an investigation. But she noted it wasn’t a first for him.
“I certainly know that the husband has been experiencing some investigation related issues. He’s been in that position in the past so this is not an entirely unusual circumstance,” Drager said.
At a hearing last month, Drager scolded Felix for not yet having filed his 2018 taxes.
Felix and Viktoria, 51, were married for more than 25 years and have three daughters together.
After, Viktoria’s lawyer, Bernard Clair, and Felix’s lawyer, Jill Levi, both declined to comment.
