1. RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME 1
A Picture of Russian Organized Crime
Alexis Bouffard
University of New Haven

2. Table of Contents
1. Abstract
2. History of Russian Organized Crime
3. Russian Organized Crime in the World and America
4. The Future of Russian Organized Crime in the World and America

3. RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME 3
1. Abstract
This paper will talk about the history of Russian organized crime in Russia and
how it has branched out to the United States and other countries in the world. The paper
will discuss the primary forms of Russian organized crime in the United States. It will
also talk about how it may expand in the United States and the rest of the world in the
future.

4. 2. History of Russian Organized Crime
When referring to Russian organized crime, the word Russian does not only imply
those from or within Russia, it also includes a vast variety of Eurasians; Armenians,
Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and persons from the Caucasus region of the former Soviet
Union (Chechens, Dagestanis, and Georgians). Russian organized crime is a vast crime
industry that occurs in many countries through out the world and differs among the
regions that it is in, however all of Russians organized crime has begun in the same way
(Finckenauer 2007).
Since the fall of the Iron Curtain (the ideological conflict and physical boundary
that divided Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945
until the end of the Cold War in 1991), Russian organized crime groups have used
economic reforms and crises to increase their wealth and influence. In 1992, when Russia
began to privatize state property, Russian organized crime groups quickly took up the
assets, which helped to expand and solidify the emerging relationship between the
Russian state and Russian organized crime. This move also gave Russian organized crime
groups tremendous economic and political power. Following this, Russian organized
crime has conducted certain functions within the government, including dividing territory
among economic actors, regulating business markets, imposing taxes and setting up
tariffs. These moves have helped to legitimize the Mafia in the eyes of many Russians as
a type of “de facto” government (Burton & Burges 2007).
Russian organized crime has developed from four main centers of criminality:
The historical criminal elite, corrupt Communist party members, ethnic and national
groups, and a compilation of desperate criminal associations. The historical criminal elite
in Russia is also known as the Vory v zakone, or thieves-in-law. This group is primarily
made up of the common criminal and has been around since before the Soviet Union, as
well as has established its own code of conduct and organization. The Communist party
members, is made up of government officials and businessmen of the Soviet elite who
abuse their positions and relations with criminal groups. This group operates through
bribery, payoffs and an underground barter economy. The high profiles of these members
and their actions have laid the groundwork through out the Soviet era for the corruption
and criminality that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. Also, former KGB and
other government officials continue to provide a significant expertise to the Russian mob,
including intelligence operations, weapons training and security techniques. Russia’s
various ethnic and national groups, including the Chechens, Armenians, Azeris,
Dagestanis, Georgians and Ingush, are active throughout the country and central Eurasia,
they are also considered the most violent. Lastly, the largest of the four groups is the
compilation of desperate criminal associations, with some controlling geographical
sectors and others engaging in only one kind of criminal activity. Others have shared
experiences; common membership in an organization or a common leader, in the United
States this group meets the definition of a gang (Burton & Burges 2007).
Russian organized crime cannot be diagramed using the pyramid structure
because it is made up of gangs that act autonomously for the most part and only have
loose ties to regional, national or international networks. These organized criminal groups
are not distinct, centralized entities, and they typically lack the membership rules and
codes described in most Hollywood portrayed Mafia stories (Burton & Burges 2007).

5. RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME 5
Traditionally, Russian mafia leaders were drawn from the Thieves in Law, elite criminals
united by a thief’s code of honor. These criminals were usually inducted within the
Russian penal system and are notorious for their elaborate tattoos, which can give a story
to the criminal’s life. In more recent years it is believed that college educated criminals
have established dominance (Porter 2015).
Criminologist Arkady G. Bronnikov has studied the tattoos if Russian prisoners
for 30 years, and has said that inmates wore tattoos after they had committed a crime,
showing what crime they committed. Prisoners that bare an incorrect tattoos could be
punished or killed by fellow inmates. The more convictions that a criminal received, and
the more severe the incarceration, the more tattoos a convict would have. These tattoos
can also show the hierarchy of inmates. The top of the hierarchy is the “pakhans”, also
known as organized crime bosses. The pakhans use the second level known as the
“echelon”, or authorities, to carry out their orders. The third level of the hierarchy
includes the “men”, and the lowest level is the “outcasts” which are treated like slaves to
the upper levels (“Russian Organized Crime”, 1996).
Matt Blake has also done some research on Russian prison tattoos and has also
stated that each tattoo has its own meaning and can be read like book about the bearers
past. He also has stated that punishments for getting a tattoo that you have not earned can
be severe, and at best the tattoo may be removed with sandpaper, glass, a brock or a
razor, and if the offender refuses to those then he may be raped or killed. For example, a
roaring tiger is symbol of thief’s aggression and is known as the “oskal”. A dagger
through the neck shows that the prisoner committed murder while in prison. A rose on the
shoulder shows that the prisoner turned eighteen while in prison. Tattoos on eyelids are
particularly respected in prison due to the fact that they are done by inserting a spoon
under the eyelid so that the needle does not penetrate the eye (Blake, 2012).
When dealing with Russian organized crime, the saying “follow the money” can
be extended to “and follow the ex soldiers.” The Russian mafia has many, varied skills to
offer, even more than many other organized crime groups through out the world, meaning
they do not need to buy in expertise from others, making their security tighter. Russian
organized crime also has almost indivisible links with the military and security service,
making it so that at street level it can still have access to arms as well as has the ability to
supply them, making it not only a criminal threat, but a national security and public
safety threat. Russian organized crime groups also have enormous bargaining power
through barter, it can supply arms and ammunition to guerrilla war groups and drug
traffickers in return for shares in cocaine trafficking to Europe, as well as for precious
metals and diamonds, which are outside of the banking system (Grant 2012).
Ethics The idea of buying out land from the government during the collapse of said
government is a very unethical. By buying this land Russian organized crime was able to
gain control over the crumbling government and now has control within the new
government. Also, the use of economic reforms and crises in order to increase one’s own
wealth is very unethical and can be looked at as a corrupt white-collar crime. Former
KGB members as well as soldiers being involved is also very unethical. These organized
crime groups have many connections that can help them prosper, however organized
crime is not something that should be prospering.

6. 3. Russian Organized Crime in the World and America
Russian organized crime operates almost everywhere in the world, and at several
levels, making it different than other organized crime groups (Grant, 2012). Russian
organized crime initially moved to Eastern Europe before heading to the United States.
These crime groups also seem to be tied to Turkish and Israeli organized crime. Russian
organized crime groups have been involved in drug trafficking. Money laundering and
counterfeiting with other international organized groups such as the Sicilian Mafia, the
Camorra, the Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads, Turkish drug traffickers and Colombian
drug cartels (Burton & Burges, 2007).
Russian organized crime groups are able to deal in a lot of products
simultaneously, playing a key role in traditional street level crime such as drug trafficking
and prostitution. Due to its links in Afghanistan, veterans of the 1980’s Afghan War play
a dominant part, it is able to arrange the supply of sex industry workers to western and
southern Europe (Grant, 2012).
The Bratsii Krug, also known as the family of Eleven, operates a drug smuggling
empire that stretches from the former Soviet Union into the Middle East, Asia, Africa,
Latin America, and the United States. In 2011, this group was named by the United States
as one of its four key targets in a strategy to combat transnational crime (Porter, 2015).
There are approximately fifteen Russian criminal groups in the United States, and
about eight ninths of them still maintain links to Russia (Finckenauer, 2007). The US
Immigration and Naturalization Service has said that California is attracting the second
largest number of Russian immigrants (“Russian Organized Crime”, 1996). Russian
organized crime groups in America include the Russian mafia, Russian mob,
Organizatsya, Borm and Bratva. Some group names refer to the geographical locations in
Russia where they originally came from, these include Izmailovskaya, Dagestantsy,
Kazanskaya and Solntsenskaya. These organized crime groups engage in contract
murders, kidnapping, arson against businesses, fraud and scams (including healthcare
fraud, insurance scams, stock frauds, antiquities swindles, forgery and tax evasion).
Russian organized crime groups use violence to gain and maintain control of the criminal
markets (Finckenauer 2007). The Russian mafia has been linked to penny stock
manipulation, gas tax scams, health care fraud and cybercrime. They are also good at
money laundering, and use other crime groups to clean their dirty money (“Russian
Mafia’s Worldwide Grip, 2000). Russian organized crime has many similarities with the
US Sicilian mafia and the Italian mafia’s. They have combined street level visible crime,
such as human trafficking and drug smuggling, as well as less visible white collar crime
such as counterfeiting and tax evasion (Grant, 2012).
Currently, most Russian organized crime groups in the United States are loosely
organized and do not have elaborate levels of structure, and are often influenced by their
ethnic or regional backgrounds. These groups have formed networks that operate for
mutual interest and often shift their alliances to meet particular needs. However, FBI
Director Louis Freeh has stated that over 200 of Russia’s crime gangs operate with
American counterparts in 17 US cities and according to intelligence reports, members are
sent to the US to reinforce and consolidate links with Russia. Russian crime figures are

7. RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME 7
also sent to the US to perform services like murder or extortion (“Russian Organized
Crime”, 1996).
Contrary to the power and corruption Russian organized crime groups have had in
Russia, these groups in America have little political influence in the United States. So far,
there have been no reported cases of police or judicial corruption by Russian organized
crime groups, or have there been any evidence of attempted manipulation of politicians or
the American political process. These groups have not been able to get criminals elected
or appointed in political offices and they have not been able to influence the media. There
also have not been any connections between Russian organized crime and political
terrorism in the United States (Finckenauer 2007).
The U.S Law enforcement strategy for combating Russian organized crime was
outlined by the Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division
in Congressional testimony in September 1999;
Our strategy in attacking Russian organized crime is
embedded in the president's comprehensive International Crime
Control Strategy issued in May of 1998.... The International Crime
Control Strategy sets out eight broad goals, such as countering
international financial crime and responding to emerging threats
such as high-tech and computer-related crime, and proposes
various steps to achieve them, including possible new legislative
provisions. In the area of international organized crime the
Department has worked to consult and coordinate more closely
with other agencies, including the Departments of State and
Treasury and the intelligence community, to assess the threat posed
by particular organized crime groups and develop long-term
strategies to combat those groups. One aspect of this cooperation is
the writing of the classified comprehensive threat assessment
called for in the International Crime Control Strategy, which is the
joint product of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies....
In addition, the Department and other law enforcement agencies
are aggressively expanding our own presence in other countries
and building new relationships with foreign governments.... To
complement the increasing number of U.S. Law enforcement
personnel overseas, the Department of Justice also is seeking to
augment its cadre of overseas attorneys. Their role includes
facilitating requests for mutual legal assistance and extradition,
providing substantive legal guidance on international law
enforcement and treaty matters, and increasing cooperation
between U. S. and foreign prosecutors....[T]he Department has
stationed Resident Legal Advisors, who provide training and
technical assistance to foreign prosecutors, judges and police in a
number of other countries, including Russia, Ukraine Latvia and
Georgia. These measures complement an aggressive policy of
investigating and prosecuting Russian organized crime activity in
the United States. As of December 1998, the FBI alone had

8. approximately 260 pending investigations targeting Russian and
Eastern European criminal enterprises.
According to law enforcement sources, there are approximately 300 former Soviet
Union crime figures in the San Francisco Bay area, and approximately 600-800 in the
Los Angeles area, home to the second largest number of Russian Immigrants, Brighton
Beach in New York is the largest home to immigrants (“Russian Organized Crime”,
1996). Brighton Beach has earned the nickname “Little Odessa” because it reminds
thousands of Russian immigrants of home, and has become ground zero for the Russian
mafia (“Russian Mafia’s Worldwide Grip, 2000). Some Russian groups that have come to
light include the Northern California Auto Theft Group, Odessa Mafia, and Armenian
Organized Crime Groups (“Russian Organized Crime”, 1996).
The Northern California Auto Theft Group was discovered by law enforcement in
1993, in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. This group was primarily blue-
collar workers from the Ukraine and Western Russia. They specialized in auto theft and
VIN switching. Younger members stole the vehicles white the older members worked in
the body shops; they used Interstate 5 to travel to Oregon and Washington to sell the
stolen vehicle parts to other Ukrainian and Russian criminals. This group also became
involved in extortion, cellular fraud, prostitution and narcotics trafficking (“Russian
Organized Crime”, 1996).
The Odessa Mafia is considered one of the most dominant Russian organized crime
groups in the United States. They established themselves in the Brighton Beach area
between 1975-1981. In the early 1980’s they sent two sub-groups to San Francisco and
Los Angeles. The San Francisco sub group seems to be highly structured and organized,
while the Los Angeles group does not. The group has a lot of secrecy around their
activities and the language barrier created problems for law enforcement resulting in little
information on the hierarchy and the operations of the group, however they are believed
to be involved with extortion, money laundering, fraud, loan sharking and homicide
(“Russian Organized Crime”, 1996).
Armenian organized crime groups in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles and
Glendale, CA, also home to the second largest Armenian population outside of Armenia,
have become well organized and do have a hierarchy unlike the other groups mentioned.
These groups are involved in extortion, fuel fraud, credit card fraud, murder, kidnaping,
and narcotics trafficking. In 1994, several members from an Armenian organized crime
group were convicted in Los Angeles for attempted murder, kidnaping and extortion
(“Russian Organized Crime”, 1996).
Russian organized crime groups in the United States have formed alliances with
other organized crime groups such as La Cosa Nostra, the Colombian cocaine cartels, and
the Sicilian Mafia (“Russian Organized Crime”, 1996). Russian organized crime groups
and La Cosa Nostra appear to cooperate with gambling, prostitution, fraud and extortion,
as well as are responsible for vice operations from Miami, FL to Tokyo, Japan and thr
Persian Gulf (Burton & Burges, 2007).
CBS News released an article in 2008 about two Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) agents who worked undercover for ten years in the Russian mob, in order to gain
more information on their activities. Going by the names of Z and Louie, for more than
one hundred nights a year, they winded and dined their way around Atlantic City, NJ and

9. RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME 9
worked their way into the Russian mafia. Once in, they realized that not only did the
mafia participate in healthcare and credit card fraud, as well as cybercrime that was
previously discussed, but they also participated in diamond and arms dealing and
cigarette smuggling. Z and Louie said that the mafia had no qualms about killing people
and that over the last fifteen years, the Russian mob based in Brighton Beach, has grown
into an intimidating force. The Russian mob now has a lucrative international enterprise
that stretches from Moscow, to Israel, Thailand and the United States. The Russian
mafia’s smuggling operations run out of a port in Newark, NJ (Keteyian, 2008).
In 2013, the FBI busted a Russian gambling ring led by Alimzhan
Tokhtakhounov, who went by the name Alik, Vadim Trincher, who went by the name
Dima, and Anatoly Golubchick, who went by Tony. This ring known as Taiwanchik-
Trinkcher, is based in Kiev and Moscow, Russia and has its leadership based in New
York City, NY. Tokhatkhounov was referred to as “Vor”, and was the highest leader. The
group allegedly ran an illegal gambling business, money laundering, extortion and other
criminal operations. The money laundering business went through a Brooklyn car garage,
real estate company, an online car dealership and a JP Morgan branch manager in New
York City (La Roche & Lopez, 2013).
Ethics Throughout this section, ethical issues such as fraud, and the use of connections in
other countries to gain profit and increase the organization were brought up. The use of
veterans from the 1980’s Afghan war as connections to their drug trafficking as well as
the trafficking of humans to Europe are very unethical. The thought of trafficking humans
in general, whether it be for drugs or for sex, is not something that is looked at as being
okay, and through out the world is looked at as a very unethical and horrible, cruel crime.
Committing fraud and other white-collar crimes are also unethical. These organized
groups use money laundering, extortion, and other crimes in order to line their pockets
with more money.

10. 4. The Future of Russian Organized Crime in the World and
America
Many Russian groups in America, specifically California, are still in their embryonic
stage, however as immigration increases, these groups are expected to expand and new
groups are expected to be established. Alliances with other organized crime groups
mentioned previously may allow Russian organized crime groups to become dominant in
the wholesale of cocaine and heroin in California (“Russian Organized Crime”, 1996).
Due to the experience that the Russian organized crime groups have in “working
the system” in the Soviet Union, they can be expected to continue their involvement in
criminal schemes such as insurance fraud in the United States (“Russian Organized
Crime”, 1996). The National Security Council released a report in 2011 in transnational
organized rime and named Russian groups as a strategic threat to Americans and US
interest abroad. Russian and Eurasian organized crime groups represent a significant
threat to economic growth and democratic institutions. Currently Russian organized
crime groups are establishing ties with global drug trafficking groups to raise capital. One
report singled out the Russian mob that is run by Semion Mogilevich, who is on the
FBI’s most wanted list for fraud, racketeering and money laundering. Mogilevich’s
criminal empire operates in Europe (Italy, Chech Republic, Switzerland), Russia, Ukraine
Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as allegedly has ties with
criminal groups in South America, Pakistan and Japan (Rapozza, 2011).
It is believed that in less than thirty years, Russian organized crime may grow to pose
a threat to law enforcement officials that could be greater than that posed by La Cosa
Nostra. Robert I. Friedman has said that the reason for the Russian mafia’s dominance it
that they “have something no crime group in the world has. They have their own state to
work from, in fact, a former superpower. Friedman also has said, "What the Italians were
able to do was to get into labor unions, to get into legitimate industries to use their money
to corrupt major politicians, cops, prosecutors—sometimes even fix political races…The
Russians aren't there yet in America, but they'll learn. They'll learn very quickly.”
(“Russian Mafia’s Worldwide Grip”, 2000).
The Russian mafia has put organized crime on a business footing in a few short
years while it took the US Sicilians decades. Mexican authorities as the highest level
have now become increasingly concerned about the Russian presence in Mexico, and
their cocaine trafficking route (Grant, 2012).
Ethics United States law enforcement must come up with a plan to combat Russian
organized crime groups. It seems as if these groups will continue to grow and their
operations will become more intense as well. The biggest issues that need to be fought
are the white-collar crimes that are committed (ie, insurance fraud, money laundering),
because this effects the every day person more than drug trafficking. All of the issues
need to be taken care of, but law enforcement should start with the white-collar crimes
that are being perpetrated.

11. RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME 1
1
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