Vladimir Valentinovich Chevtayev, Conspiracy to Commit Money Launde…

ST. PAUL, MN – A sophisticated auto fraud ring operating across state lines has landed three men in federal prison, the Department of Justice announced this week. VLADIMIR VALENTINOVICH CHEVTAYEV, 44, of Plymouth, Minnesota, received a 26-month sentence for conspiracy to commit money laundering. The sentencing, handed down August 25, 2020, marks the culmination of a years-long investigation into a scheme that systematically defrauded financial institutions.

The scam, which ran from 2013 to 2016, centered around All Auto Care, an auto repair business in Hopkins, Minnesota, with a dealership license. CHEVTAYEV, acting as an officer, allegedly conspired with RUSLAN FURMAN, 45, of Deerfield, Illinois, and THOMAS POPLAR, 46, of McHenry, Illinois, to illegally obtain financing for vehicles. The vehicles were then “sold” to a Dodge dealership in Gurnee, Illinois, where FURMAN and POPLAR were employed.

The operation wasn’t based on legitimate sales. Instead, the trio allegedly used stolen identities, the names of deceased individuals, or even paid people for their personal information to secure fraudulent vehicle loans. Investigators found that many of the financed vehicles were either severely damaged, grossly overvalued, or, in some cases, didn’t even exist. The conspirators made a few initial payments to create the illusion of legitimate loans, while secretly laundering the funds through a network of bank accounts under their control.

FURMAN received a 24-month sentence on May 29, 2020, after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft. POPLAR, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, was sentenced on August 17, 2020, to the harshest penalty of the three – 37 months in prison. All three were sentenced by Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. Each defendant has been ordered to pay restitution, shared jointly: CHEVTAYEV at $456,157.77, POPLAR at $543,973, and FURMAN at $298,644.

The investigation was a joint effort by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Plymouth Police Department, and the Gurnee Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie E. Allyn prosecuted the case, bringing down a network built on deceit and illicit profit. All three defendants will also serve periods of supervised release following their prison terms: CHEVTAYEV with 2 years, POPLAR with 2 years, and FURMAN with 1 year.

This case serves as a stark reminder that financial crimes, even those masked by seemingly legitimate businesses, will be aggressively pursued by federal authorities. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on any further developments.