The U.S. government has imposed a new round of sanctions against one of Russia’s oldest organized criminal gangs, known as “Thieves-in-Law.”, reports Voice of America.
The U.S. Treasury Department targeted 10 alleged members of the group as well as designated the entire network as a transnational criminal organization (TCO).
“Treasury is designating the Thieves-in-Law as part of a broader strategy to disrupt the financial infrastructure of transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States and our allies,” said John Smith, director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The Treasury Department said the Russian group engages in a variety of crimes, including money laundering, extortion, bribery and robbery in Russia, Europe and the United States. The crime group first emerged in the Soviet Union’s prison camps.
“The Thieves-in-Law is a Eurasian crime syndicate that has been linked to a long list of illicit activity across the globe,” Smith said.
The new U.S. designation means that U.S. individuals and firms are banned from doing business with Thieves-in-Law or with people linked to the group. It also means that assets held by the crime organization in the United States can be frozen.
Ruben Tatulyan (photo – 1in.am)
The Treasury Department also named two companies of Ruben Tatulyan as part of the sanctions for being connected to the crime syndicate — a luxury spa hotel in the Russian resort of Sochi and a Moscow publishing house.
Photo – VoA