Wow, Oleg Deripaska is having a rough month. First, the Kremlin’s military adventures in Georgia and playful Cold War confrontation games with the West cost him (and many other oligarchs) several billion, causing him to lose his treasured stake in the Canadian auto part manufacturer Magna. Then there’s this bit from the Wall Street Journal. And this is the guy John McCain spent his birthday with?

Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, whose business is facing a squeeze amid the credit crisis, also is under investigation by U.S. and U.K. authorities in connection with a $57.5 million wire transfer last year, according to people familiar with the matter. (…) The wire transfer being investigated in the U.S. and U.K. originated with a Russian company Mr. Deripaska controls, UC Rusal, passing through Barclays PLC offices in New York and London, according to emails, other documents and people with knowledge of the transaction. Some of the funds ended up with Deripaska consultants in Washington who, according to lawyers and government officials, are being investigated by the Justice Department and Manhattan district attorney for possible money laundering or other crimes.