Semion Mogilevich

Semion Yudkovich Mogilevich (Ukrainian: Семен Ю́дкович Могиле́вич, [sɛmˈjɔn ˈjudkɔwɪt͡ʃ mɔɦɪˈlɛwɪt͡ʃ]; born Juin 30, 1946 in Kiev, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian-born, allegit Roushie organisit crime boss, believed bi European an Unitit States federal law enforcement agencies tae be the "boss o bosses" o maist Roushie Mafia seendicates in the warld.

Mogilevich's nicknames include "Don Semyon", an "The Brainy Don" (acause o his business acumen ). He is believed tae control a vast criminal empire an haes been cawed "the maist dangerous mobster in the warld".

Biography

Mogilevich wis born intae a middle-class Jewish faimily. At the age o 22 he earned a degree in economics frae Lviv University.

In the early 1970s he became pairt o the Lyuberetskaya creeme group in Moscow an wis involved in petty theft an fraud. He served twa terms (3 an 4 years) for currency-dealin affenses.

Durin the 1980s, tens o thoosans o Ukrainian an Roushie Jews wur emigratin tae Israel on short notice an athoot the ability tae quickly transfer thair possessions. Mogilevich wad affer tae sell property – thair furniture, airt an diamonds – on behauf o the prospective émigrés, promisin tae forrit the money on tae Israel. The money wis, instead, uised tae invest in black mercat an creeminal activities. In 1990, awready a millionaire, Mogilevich moved tae Israel, thegither wi several tap lieutenants. Here he investit in a wide range o legal businesses, whilst continuin tae operate a warldwide netwirk o prostitution, wappen, an drog smugglin throu a complex wab o affshore companies.

In 1991 Mogilevich mairit his Hungarian girlfriend Katalin Papp an moved tae Hungary an haed three childer wi her, obtainin a Hungarian passport; at this pynt, Mogilevich held Roushie, Ukrainian, Israeli an Hungarian citizenship. Livin in a fortified villa ootside Budapest, he continued tae invest in a wide array o enterprises, includin buyin a local armament factory, "Army Co-Op", which produced anti-aircraft guns.

In 1994, Mogilevich group obtained control ower Inkombank, ane o the lairgest private banks in Roushie, in a secret deal wi bank chairman Vladimir Vinogradov, gettin direct access tae the warld financial seestem. The bank collapsed in 1998 unner suspicions o money launderin. Throu Inkombank, in 1996 he obtained a significant share in Sukhoi, a lairge military aircraft manufacturer.

In Mey 1995, a meetin in Prague atween Mogilevich an Sergei Mikhailov, heid o the Solntsevo group, wis raidit bi Czech polis. The occasion wis a birthday pairty for ane o the deputy Solntsevo mafiosi. Twa hunder pairtygoers (includin dozens o prostitutes) in the restaurant "U Holubů" (awned bi Mogilevich) wur detained an thirtie expelled frae the kintra. Police haed been tipped aff that the Solntsevo group intendit tae execute Mogilevich at the pairty ower a disputit payment o $5 million. But Mogilevich niver showed an it is believed that a senior figure in the Czech polis, wirkin wi the Roushie mafia, haed warned him. Suin, housomeivver, the Czech Interior Meenistry imposed a 10-year entry ban on Mogilevich, while the Hungarian govrenment declared him persona non grata an the Breetish barred his entry intae the UK, declarin him "ane o the maist dangerous men in the warld".

Baith Mogilevich an his associate Mikhailov ceased tae traivel tae the wast in the late 1990s, awtho Mogilevich retains an Israeli passport. Till recently, thay lived an operatit in the Moscow aurie. In 1997 an 1998, the presence o Mogilevich, Mikhailov an ithers associatit wi the Roushie Mafia ahint a public company tradin on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), YBM Magnex Internaitional Inc., wis exposed bi Canadian journalists. On Mey 13, 1998, dozens o agents for the FBI an several ither U.S. govrenment agencies raidit YBM's heidquarters in Newtown, Pennsylvanie. Shares in the public company, which haed been valued at $1 billion on the TSX, became wirthless owernicht. As tae Mogilevich himsel, federal law enforcement agencies frae throughoot the warld haed bi nou been tryin tae prosecute him for ower 10 years. But he haed, in the wirds o ane jurnalist, "a knack for niver being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Till 1998, Inkombank an Bank Menatep participatit in a US$ 10 billion money launderin scheme throu the Bank of New York.

Mogilevich wis an aa suspectit o participation in lairge scale fraud, whaur untaxed heatin ile wis sauld as heichlie taxed caur fuel. Estimates are that up tae ane third o sauld fuels went throu this scheme, resultin in massive tax losses for kintras o Central Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakie an Poland). In 2003, the Unitit States Federal Bureau o Investigation put Mogilevich on the "Wantit Leet" for participation in the scheme tae defraud investors in Canadian company YBM Magnex Internaitional Inc. Frustratit bi thair previous unsuccessful efforts tae chairge him for airms traffickin an prostitution, thay haed nou settled on the lairge-scale fraud chairges as thair best hope o runnin him tae the grund. He wis, housomeivver, considered tae be the maist pouerful Roushie mobster alive. In a 2006 interview, umwhile Clinton admeenistration anti-organized-crime czar Jon Winer said, "I can tell you that Semion Mogilevich is as serious an organized criminal as I have ever encountered and I am confident that he is responsible for contract killings."

Mogilevich wis arrestit in Moscow on Januar 24, 2008, for suspectit tax evasion. He wis released on Julie 24, 2009. On his release, the Roushie interior meenistry statit that the chairges against him "are no o a particularly grave nature." On October 22, 2009 he wis named bi the FBI as the 494t fugitive tae be placed on the Ten Most Wanted leet.