Defendant Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to Participating in Racketeering Conspiracy with Russian-American Organized Crime Enterprise Operating International Sportsbook
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 22, 2013 |
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Stan Greenberg pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court to participating in a racketeering conspiracy in connection with his role as a member of a Russian-American organized crime enterprise. Greenberg was charged in April 2013 along with 33 other alleged members and associates of two Russian-American organized crime enterprises—the Taiwanchik-Trincher Organization and the Nahmad-Trincher Organization—in an indictment that included racketeering, money laundering, extortion, and various gambling offenses. He pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, “With his guilty plea today, Stan Greenberg is now the latest member of this Russian-American organized crime ring to be convicted, but we expect he will not be the last. We remain committed to pursuing and prosecuting those involved in this international enterprise.”
According to the indictment, other documents filed in Manhattan federal court ,and statements made at various proceedings in this case, including today’s guilty plea:
The Taiwanchik-Trincher Organization is a nationwide criminal enterprise with strong ties to Russia and Ukraine. The leadership of the organization ran an international sportsbook that catered primarily to Russian oligarchs living in Russia and Ukraine and throughout the world. The Taiwanchik-Trincher Organization laundered tens of millions of dollars in proceeds from the gambling operation from Russia and Ukraine through shell companies and bank accounts in Cyprus and from Cyprus into the United States. Once the money arrived in the United States, it was either laundered through additional shell companies or invested in seemingly legitimate investments, such as hedge funds or real estate. Greenberg was a U.S.-based participant in the enterprise. In this capacity, he assisted the Taiwanchik-Trincher Organization in laundering the proceeds of their international sportsbook into various investment vehicles, including real estate purchases and hedge funds, in the United States.
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Greenberg, 48, of New York, New York, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release. As part of his plea agreement, Greenberg agreed to forfeit the proceeds from his racketeering activity. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Furman on February 27, 2014, at 3:00 p.m.
Greenberg is the 12th defendant in this case to plead guilty. The following defendants previously pled guilty and await sentencing:
- Bryan Zuriff pled guilty to gambling charges on July 26, 2013
- William Barbalat pled guilty to gambling charges on August 14, 2013
- Kirill Rapoport pled guilty to gambling charges on August 16, 2013
- Edwin Ting and Justin Smith pled guilty to gambling charges on September 4, 2013
- Dmitry Druzhinsky and David Aaron pled guilty to gambling charges on October 4, 2013
- Alexander Zaverukha pled guilty to gambling charges on October 10, 2013
- Nicholas Hirsch pled guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud on October 16, 2013
- Anatoly Shteyngrab pled guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering on October 17, 2013
- Yugeshwar Rajkumar pled guilty to gambling charges on October 18, 2013.
Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York City Police Department, and Internal Revenue Service.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harris M. Fischman, Joshua A. Naftalis, Peter Skinner, and Kristy J. Greenberg of the Organized Crime Unit are in charge of the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Wilson and Christine Magdo of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Unit are responsible for the forfeiture aspects of the case.
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