Martins Apskalns, International Fraud Scheme, New York 2020

Two Latvian nationals have been sentenced to prison for their roles in an international fraud scheme that bilked millions of dollars from victims.

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Martins Apskalns and Igors Pirins were sentenced to 108 months and 66 months in prison, respectively, for their leadership roles in the scheme.

APSKALNS and PIRINS previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud before United States District Judge Jesse M. Furman.

The scheme, which operated from at least January 2016 through December 2018, targeted victims who thought they were buying classic cars on legitimate internet auction and trading sites.

Victims were directed to purported automotive transportation companies, which were in fact shell corporations established by the conspiracy to help perpetrate the fraud. After victims had wired payment, the defendants and co-conspirators went to the banks to drain the victim’s funds.

APSKALNS and PIRINS were arrested in Latvia in November 2018 and extradited to the United States in December 2018. They were sentenced on January 31, 2020, and February 10, 2020, respectively.

In addition to their prison terms, APSKALNS was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to pay $4,952,179 in restitution, and face a $100 special assessment.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-defendants-sentenced-manhattan-federal-court-international-fraud-scheme