Please see the attached legal case: 1) the case summary and 2) full indictment: please note that you don't have to read the full indictment.please use it for the reference while you answer the followi
9/12/2016 Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges 34 Members And Associates Of Two RussianAmerican Organized Crime Enterprises With Operating International S…https://www.justice.gov/usaosdny/pr/manhattanusattorneycharges34membersandassociatestworussianamericanorganized 1/3
FO R IM M EDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, April 16, 2013
U.S. Attorneys » Southern District of New York » News » Press Releases
Departm ent of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s O ffice
Southern District of New York
M a n h a tta n U .S . A tto r n e y C h a r g e s 3 4 M e m b e r s A n d A s s o c ia te s O f
T w o R u s s ia n A m e r ic a n O r g a n iz e d C r im e E n te r p r is e s W ith
O p e r a tin g In te r n a tio n a l S p o r ts b o o k s T h a t L a u n d e r e d M o r e T h a n
$ 10 0 M illio n
Tw elve D efendants C harged W ith R acketeering, O thers C harged W ith C rim es
Including M oney Laundering, E xtortion, Fraud, A nd O perating Illegal P oker R oom s In
N ew Y ork C ity
O n e o f th e E n terp rises A lleg ed ly L a u n d ered T en s o f M illio n s o f D o lla rs fro m
R u ssia a n d th e U k ra in e th ro u g h C y p ru s S h ell C o m p a n ies a n d B a n k A cco u n ts
in to th e U n ited S ta tes
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, G eorge Venizelos, the
Assistant DirectorinCharge of the New York O ffice of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Toni
W eirauch, the Special AgentinCharge of the New York Field O ffice of the Internal Revenue Service,
Crim inal Investigation (“IRSCI”), and Raym ond W . Kelly, the Police Com m issioner of the City of New York
(“NYPD”), announced today the unsealing of charges against 34 alleged m em bers and associates of two
related RussianAm erican organized crim e enterprises, including a Russian “Vor,” for a range of offenses
including the operation of at least two international bookm aking organizations – or “sportsbooks” – that
catered to m ultim illionaires and billionaires in the U.S., Russia, and the Ukraine. O ne enterprise, the
TaiwanchikTrincher O rganization, run by VADIM TRINCHER, is alleged to have laundered tens of m illions
of dollars from Russia and the Ukraine through Cyprus and into the U.S. The other enterprise, the
Nahm adTrincher O rganization, run by ILLYA TRINCHER, the son of VADIM TRINCHER, is alleged to
have been financed by, am ong other entities, a prestigious art gallery in New York City.
In connection with the Indictm ent unsealed today in the Southern District of New York, 29 defendants have
been arrested in New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The 20 defendants taken into custody
today in New York were presented and arraigned in M anhattan federal court before U.S. M agistrate Judge
Jam es C. Francis, IV this afternoon. The rem aining defendants arrested today will be presented in federal
court in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Los Angeles this afternoon. An additional defendant, HILLEL NAHM AD,
is expected to surrender in Los Angeles later today. The rem aining four defendants – DO NALD
M cCALM O NT, BRYAN ZURIFF, W ILLIAM EDLER, and ALIM ZHAN TO KHTAKHO UNO V – are fugitives and
are still being sought. 9/12/2016 Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges 34 Members And Associates Of Two RussianAmerican Organized Crime Enterprises With Operating International S…
https://www.justice.gov/usaosdny/pr/manhattanusattorneycharges34membersandassociatestworussianamericanorganized 2/3
M anhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As alleged, these crim inal enterprises were vast and m any
tentacled, with one of them reaching across the Atlantic to launder tens of m illions of dollars from Russia
to the U.S. via Cyprus and in som e cases, back again. International m oney laundering is a serious
offense, and we will do everything within our power to inhibit those who seek to sanitize the proceeds of
crim e through legitim ate investm ent vehicles in this country from doing so.”
FBI Assistant DirectorinCharge G eorge Venizelos said: “Today’s charges dem onstrate the scope and
reach of Russian organized crim e. O ne of the principal defendants is a notorious Russian ‘thiefinlaw’
allegedly directing an international conspiracy through Cyprus to the U.S. The defendants are alleged to
have handled untold m illions in illegal wagers placed by m illionaires and billionaires, laundered m illions,
and in som e cases are them selves m ultim illionaires. Crim e pays only until you are arrested and
prosecuted.”
IRSCI Special AgentinCharge Toni W eirauch said: “International m oney laundering is not a victim less
crim e. Rather, it is a national and global threat that can provide crim inal enterprises with resources to
conduct further illegal activity. The laundering of illegal gam bling proceeds, in particular, facilitates the
underground, untaxed econom y which, in turn, harm s our nation’s econom ic strength.”
NYPD Com m issioner Raym ond W . Kelly said: “The subjects in this case ran highstakes illegal poker
gam es and online gam bling, proceeds from which are alleged to have been funneled to organized crim e
overseas. The one thing they didn't bet on was the New York City police and federal investigators’
attention. I com m end the NYPD O rganized Crim e Investigations Division and their partners in the FBI and
U.S. Attorney Bharara's office for identifying and bringing the m em bers of this organization to justice.”
According to the allegations in the Indictm ent unsealed today in M anhattan federal court and other court
docum ents:
T h e T a iw a n ch ik T rin ch er O rg a n iza tio n
The TaiwanchikTrincher O rganization is a nationwide crim inal enterprise with strong ties to Russia and
Ukraine. The leadership of the organization ran an international sportsbook that catered prim arily to
Russian oligarchs living in Russia and Ukraine and throughout the world. The TaiwanchikTrincher
O rganization laundered tens of m illions of dollars in proceeds from the gam bling operation from Russia
and the Ukraine through shell com panies and bank accounts in Cyprus, and from Cyprus into the U.S.
O nce the m oney arrived in the U.S, it was either laundered through additional shell com panies or invested
in seem ingly legitim ate investm ents, such as hedge funds or real estate.
The TaiwanchikTrincher O rganization operated under the protection of ALIM ZHAN TO KHTAKHO UNO V,
who is known as a “Vor,” a term translated as “ThiefinLaw,” that refers to a m em ber of a select group of
highlevel crim inals from the form er Soviet Union. TO KHTAKHO UNO V used his status as a Vor to resolve
disputes with clients of the highstakes illegal gam bling operation with im plicit and som etim es explicit
threats of violence and econom ic harm . During a single twom onth period, TO KHTAKHO UNO V was paid
$10 m illion for his services by the TaiwanchikTrincher O rganization. TO KHTAKHO UNO V is also under
indictm ent in the Southern District of New York for his alleged involvem ent in bribing officials at the 2002
W inter O lym pics held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
N a h m a d T rin ch er O rg a n iza tio n
The Nahm adTrincher O rganization is a nationwide crim inal enterprise with leadership in Los Angeles,
California, and New York City. The organization ran a highstakes illegal gam bling business that catered
prim arily to m ultim illionaire and billionaire clients. The organization utilized several online gam bling
websites that operated illegally in the U.S. Debts owed to the Nahm adTrincher O rganization som etim es
reached hundreds of thousands of dollars and even m illions. O ne client, who lost approxim ately two 9/12/2016 Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges 34 Members And Associates Of Two RussianAmerican Organized Crime Enterprises With Operating International S…
https://www.justice.gov/usaosdny/pr/manhattanusattorneycharges34membersandassociatestworussianamericanorganized 3/3
m illion dollars to the organization, surrendered his plum bing com pany to the organization as paym ent of
the debt.
The Nahm adTrincher O rganization was financed by, am ong others, HILLEL NAHM AD, a/k/a “Helly,” and
the art gallery he operates in New York City, the Helly Nahm ad G allery. NAM HAD is also charged with
conspiring to com m it wire fraud in connection with the sale of a painting worth approxim ately $250,000.
The organization laundered tens of m illions of dollars through various com panies and bank accounts. It
was assisted in its m oney laundering by RO NALD UY, a branch m anager at a bank in New York City. UY
advised ILLYA TRINCHER on how to structure financial transactions so as to avoid bank reporting
requirem ents.
Illeg a l P o k er R o o m s
The Indictm ent also charges various defendants with prom oting and operating highstakes illegal poker
room s in and around New York City, including EDW IN TING , M O LLY BLO O M , and EUG ENE TRINCHER,
who is the son of VADIM and brother of ILLYA. The poker gam es operated by the defendants resulted in
gam bling debts as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A chart containing the ages, residency inform ation, and charges against the defendants, as well as the
m axim um penalties they face is attached.
M r. Bharara thanked the FBI, specifically the Eurasian O rganized Crim e Squad of the New York O ffice,
IRSCI, and the NYPD for their work in the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by the O ffice’s O rganized Crim e Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harris
Fischm an, Peter Skinner, and Joshua A. Naftalis of the O rganized Crim e Unit are in charge of the
prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander W ilson of the O ffice’s Asset Forfeiture Unit is responsible
for the forfeiture aspects of the case.
The charges contained in the Indictm ent are m erely accusations, and the defendants are presum ed
innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Click here to view chart(s)
U.S. v. Alim zhan Tokhtakhounov, et al. Indictm ent
13135
USAO New York, Southern
Updated May 18, 2015