Taiwanese individual suspected of building home-made exploding drones for attacking political opponents
** Fast Forward to a Scandal Unveiled in America**
Last autumn, as chaos erupted on Maidan in Ukraine, a secretive storm was brewing across the Atlantic. The FBI zeroed in on a global sports betting ring catering to high-rolling clients. This clandestine enterprise, later named the "Taiwanchik-Trincher Group," implicated powerful players from Ukraine, Russia, Cyprus, and the United States.
Following an extensive investigation, the true extent of this multimillion-dollar racket was uncovered. Among its key participants were Ukrainian and Russian deputies, oligarchs, and American millionaires. After a brief investigation, more players were implicated, and some were arrested. In total, 34 individuals in America were held responsible, with some striking deals with the investigation. The indictment spanned an impressive 84 pages.
The operation's nucleus was located abroad, as wealthy individuals from Ukraine, Russia, and other countries placed their bets. In Russia, notorious criminal 64-year-old Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov (nicknamed "Taiwanchik") handled the Russian end of the business. Banned from entering the U.S. and convicted for bribing judges at the Olympic Games in Turin, the betting operation bore his namesake.
The "Group" did not confine its activities to betting but also laundered ill-gotten gains. Anatoly Golubchik was in charge of this aspect, funneling money back to the U.S. through Ukraine and Cypriot companies. One of the owners of these companies took his life after the scandal broke out, rumored to have been driven to suicide by none other than Anatoly Golubchik.
Renowned poker players Vadim Trincher and Anatoly Golubchik, formerly citizens of the USSR, made their home in Kyiv before migrating to the U.S. in 1989. Golubchik had previously served time in prison for counterfeiting foreign currency. Trincher, on the other hand, demonstrated exceptional poker skills in America and even won the 2009 WPT Foxwoods event, pocketing a $731,079 prize. Together, they established an international betting syndicate that dominated the high-stakes market, with average bets reaching $1 million or more.
A division of the international gambling business was based in Kyiv, where oligarchs, wealthy individuals, and members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine placed their bets. This office also managed untaxed funds, which were laundered through real estate purchases and construction. The construction company "Town House Ukraine," owned by Andrei Nekrasovsky at the time, was involved in these transactions.
The "firm" was not just limited to gambling; it was also entangled in illegal activities such as racketeering, intimidation, and stock market manipulation, all of which infringed upon the Criminal Code. The estimated annual income of the Kyiv office ranged from $100 million to $500 million, all tax-free, as these activities remained hidden from the public eye and were never registered. Experts estimate that the annual turnover of such businesses in Ukraine could reach between $500 million and $1 billion.
It's bewildering that the SBU and the Tax Service didn't show interest in this operation, given the substantial sums involved. Such activities are hard to conceal, even on paper. The "Group" amassed land, property, and made large transactions to Cyprus, receiving money from bets. It's likely that some high-ranking officials were protecting the "Group" and may have even been secret clients.
In April 2014, trials were held for Vadim Trincher and Anatoly Golubchik, resulting in a 5-year prison sentence for each. They appealed the sentence, which was rejected because the judge sentenced them to 5 years instead of the agreed 3, likely due to the extensive media attention and continued support for the U.S. justice system in this high-profile case.
VIP Sports Betting Syndicate in the U.S.
It's intriguing to discover who ensured the safety of the "firm's" assets in Ukraine - it was Yakiv Kuznetsov, an associate of Mikhail Dobkin and co-founder of the Ukrainian bank "Golden Gates." (It's possible that Mikhail Dobkin was behind this operation). Kuznetsov is also the founder of the "Millennium Asset Management" fund, which has been linked to corruption schemes and asset seizures under the guise of Cypriot companies.
In addition, the office space at 6b Staronautychna Street (valued around $1 million) was illegally transferred into the fictitious ownership of individuals related to the Surkis brothers, who suddenly became guarantors of the "firm's" property safety. Well-informed sources suggest that it's not surprising that the Surkis brothers hid mafia assets, as Igor Surkis was a key player in this casino. Other notable figures involved include Yuri Ivanushchenko, Garik Korogodsky, Ukrainian oligarchs Dmitry Firtash and Rinat Akhmetov, who regularly placed bets through intermediaries, as well as wealthy Ukrainian MPs from the Party of Regions, such as Alexander Efremov, Alexander Onyshchenko, Nestor Shufrych, and Yevheniy Tsarkov, who made bets through intermediaries.
Despite the widespread attention this case gained in the U.S., where investigators have already recovered $68 million for the budget, no criminal cases have been opened in Ukraine based on the known activities of this group. However, it was recently revealed that there are audio recordings of conversations between Trincher and Golubchik about betting activities over the three years of their "firm's" operation.
Stay tuned for further updates on this unfolding case!
Information Byte
- The "Taiwanchik-Trincher Group" was an international VIP sports betting syndicate involving key players mainly from the United States and Ukraine. Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov, Vadim Trincher, Hillel Nahmad, and Illya Trincher were among the main figures involved.
- What is surprising is that despite the "Taiwanchik-Trincher Group" being an international VIP sports betting syndicate connected to crime and justice, no criminal cases have been opened in Ukraine based on the known activities of this group.
- The FBI's investigation into the "Taiwanchik-Trincher Group" drew attention to the general-news categories of crime and justice and sports, given its involvement in sports-betting activities.
