Friends of Ours

Feds: Murder-Suicide Had Ties To Poker Ring

The man who was behind a shocking murder-suicide last year at a business meeting in a Queens hotel received $300,000 from a shell company in Cyprus which is at the center of a gambling and money laundering ring with ties to the Russian Mafia according to federal prosecutors as reported by Robert Gearty for the Daily News.

In May 2012 Gary L. Zalevsky shot Brian J. Weiss, and then turned the gun on himself at the Hilton Garden Inn near Kennedy Airport.

Federal prosecutors claim that one of the men who attended the business meeting and witnessed the murder-suicide is an unindicted co-conspirator of Anatoly Golubchik who was charged last month for his alleged role in a mob-tied poker ring for New York's rich and famous which laundered tens of millions of dollars through the Cyprus shell company.

The revelations were disclosed at a court hearing during which the feds unsuccessfully attempted to deny bail for Golubchik.

Prior Coverage:

Report: Obama Pick For French Ambassador Folds Over Alleged Ties To Poker Ring

Billionaire Marc Lasry who runs a Manhattan hedge fund was slated to become the next French ambassador but apparently he's declined the post over his alleged friendship with Illya Trincher whom federal prosecutors accuse of heading a gambling and money laundering ring with ties to the Russian Mafia as reported by the New York Post:  "'it's not that he committed a crime, but it opens a can of worms,' a source said."

Trincher and co-defendant Hillel "Helly" Nahmad, an art dealer and spoiled playboy, allegedly headed a racketeering enterprise which operated poker games in New York for the fabulous set, and they were among dozens arrested by the FBI earlier this month.

At a bail hearing on Wednesday for Anatoly Golubchik  federal prosecutors sought to dissuade the judge from any conception that the ring was just harmless fun and games for the rich and famous as reported by the New York Post: 

Golubchik, whom the feds claim helped run a multimillion-dollar illegal-gambling operation out of Nahmad's $5 million Trump Tower condo, answered directly to reputed Russian crime boss Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, the prosecutor said.  "This is the top of the top of the top in organized crime in Russia," he noted, in arguing against Golubchik's bid to maintain bail.

Tokhtakhounov is charged in the indictment for allegedly heading a separate racketeering enterprise with Illya Trincher's father Vadim, and Tokhtakhounov remains a fugitive as reported by Richard Behar for Forbes:

The feds call him a "major figure in international Eurasian Organized Crime" who has been involved in "drug distribution, illegal arms sales and trafficking in stolen vehicles." In the current gambling case, he's accused of using his status as a thief-in-law (or vory v zakone) -- a select group of the highest-level criminals in Russia -- to resolve disputes with gambling clients with threats of violence.

In the past Tokhtakhunov allegedly has been linked to Semion "The Brainy Don" Mogilevich, the supposed "boss of bosses" over Russia's organized crime networks, who is under federal indictment for allegedly "swindling Canadian and U.S. investors out of $150 million in a complex international financial scheme" as previously reported by Jeanne Meserve for CNN.

It's unlikely that the feds ever will bring Tokhtakhunov or Mogilevich to justice given that the United States has no extradition treaty with Russia where both men are living.

Feds Grab Everyone But The Vor

Nearly two dozen defendants were arraigned last Friday in a Manhattan federal court for their alleged roles in a gambling ring for the fabulous people but missing from the crowd was reputed Russian mobster Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov who remains a fugitive as reported by Richard Behar for Forbes:

The feds call him a "major figure in international Eurasian Organized Crime" who has been involved in "drug distribution, illegal arms sales and trafficking in stolen vehicles." In the current gambling case, he's accused of using his status as a thief-in-law (or vory v zakone) -- a select group of the highest-level criminals in Russia -- to resolve disputes with gambling clients with threats of violence.

Tokhtakhunov has often been linked to Semion "The Brainy Don" Mogilevich, the supposed "boss of bosses" over Russia's organized crime networks, who is under federal indictment for allegedly "swindling Canadian and U.S. investors out of $150 million in a complex international financial scheme" as previously reported by Jeanne Meserve for CNN.

It's unlikely that the feds ever will bring Tokhtakhunov or Mogilevich to justice given that the United States has no extradition treaty with Russia where both men are living.

Prior Coverage:

Helly Nahmad Retains Ben Brafman

FBI:  Russian Mafia Tied To Gambling Ring For Celebrity Clientele

Italian Police: Neapolitan Mafia Ran Website To Take Soccer Bets

The Carabinieri have busted 38 individuals for their alleged roles in an online soccer-betting ring which was operated by the Casalesi clan from the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia as reported by ANSA.

Helly Nahmad Retains Ben Brafman

Hillel "Helly" Nahmad, the art dealer and playboy whom federal prosecutors allege was involved with an illegal gambling and money laundering ring tied to the Russian Mafia, has retained criminal defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman who insists on his client's innocence as reported by Vivian Yee for The New York Times: 

Mr. Brafman, who is representing Mr. Nahmad with another lawyer, Paul Shechtman, said in a statement after the hearing, "We do not believe that Mr. Nahmad has knowingly violated the law." He also said, "We anticipate that he will be fully exonerated."

Nahmad "is keeping himself out of jail by turning over the deed to his ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment . . . to satisfy his $500,000 bond" and "surrendering his US, Italian and Brazilian passports" as reported by Josh Saul for the New York Post.

Brafman previously represented class action king Mel Weiss, and at the time of Weiss's federal indictment in September 2007 said "we are confident that when the evidence is carefully reviewed at a trial of these charges, Mr. Weiss will be fully exonerated" as then reported by Barry Meier for The New York Times.  Several months later Weiss pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy for his role in a decades-long scheme pursuant to which serial plaintiffs were paid illegal kickbacks from attorneys' fees in order to file securities fraud lawsuits against publicly-traded companies, and was sentenced to thirty months in prison as then reported by Jonathan D. Glater for The New York Times.

Brafman is among the best lawyers but he has an imperfect record as a fortune teller.

Prior Coverage:

FBI:  Russian Mafia Tied To Gambling Ring For Celebrity Clientele

Anthony Staino Cries Uncle Sam

Earlier this year a federal jury convicted reputed capo Anthony "Ant" Staino on two loansharking counts at a multi-defendant trial which targeted the alleged gambling and loansharking operations of the Philadelphia Mafia but was hung on the racketeering charge against him.

Apparently in order to avoid a retrial on the deadlocked charge Staino is capitulating before federal prosecutors, and today "will plead guilty . . . to racketeering conspiracy and an illegal gambling count" as reported by John P. Martin for The Inquirer.

The federal jury also deadlocked on the racketeering charges against reputed boss Joseph Ligambi and his nephew George Borgesi, and they face retrial in mid-October with two new defendants Eric Esposito and Robert Ranieri.  The same jury convicted three others -- Joseph Massimino, Damion Canalichio, and Gary Battaglini who allegedly served as underboss, soldier and associate, respectively -- on the racketeering charges.

U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno previously sentenced two other co-defendants who pled pled guilty before the case went to trial.  Reputed capo Martin "Marty" Angelina received 57 months in prison, and reputed soldier Gaeton "Gate" Lucibello got 51 months.