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Femme Fatale Seized in Russia-U.S. Smuggling Scheme
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ShareSeptember 04, 2006 8:15 AM
Federal agents have arrested the woman they say controlled the money and the books of a Russian smuggling ring using sailboats in the Caribbean to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States.
Authorities say Margarita Pouchkareva was taken into custody by ICE agents this spring in New York based on charges in a federal indictment.
Ms. Pouchkareva, along with nine other defendants and several other accomplices, including one named "Crocodile," is accused of bringing aliens to, transporting and concealing them within the United States and using counterfeit visas and passports, all "for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain," according to the indictment.
Specifically, Ms. Pouchkareva is accused of playing the roles of both the secretary and the treasurer of the ring. According to the indictment, Ms. Pouchkareva provided documents and employment, or the illusion of "legitimate employment," for the illegal immigrants smuggled into the country, and she would then "collect payments for the services provided by the smuggling organization and would disburse funds to pay for the organization's operational needs. "
According to the indictment, she has been involved in transferring funds totaling more than $70,000 from December 2000 to December 2003 for the operation.
As ABCNews.com previously reported on The Blotter, hundreds of illegal immigrants from Russian are sneaking into the United States on sailboats launched from the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Panama for $15,000 a head, including airfare from Russia. With the connection between al Qaeda and Chechen rebels, U.S. officials are concerned that this ring could be the conduit by which terrorists enter the country.
The ring's alleged leader, Pavel Shkinder, nicknamed "Pasha," is also under federal indictment but remains in the human smuggling business in Moscow, according to federal authorities.
Read the indictment in the case.
September 4, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (12)
lets see ...
typically $15,000 a head, and she handled $70,000 over three years.
WOW, thats like 5 people!!
(One musta got a discount maybe he was shorter). This was a huge bust. Wtg Feds, we can sleep feeling safe now.
Btw what did this investigation & interagency bust cost us? Likely several hundred thousand?
Posted by: mango | Sep 4, 2006 11:34:38 AM
Human Cargo is not the only thing leaving cuba shores...
Posted by: Alex | Sep 4, 2006 6:23:20 PM
Hell Mango, the government dude in charge spent more than $70,000 on expenses just to investigate the womman! Government money is FREE money if you can get your hands on it!
Posted by: dave | Sep 4, 2006 11:26:49 PM
As long as people want to come in to this country there's a job for smugglers.Smugglers are all over the place. But lets give the agents credit. Great job boys!
Posted by: Dan Munoz | Sep 5, 2006 10:13:10 AM
From December 2000 to December 2003, she transferred $70,000! That is $23,333.33 a year. Wow, we're really go after the big fish aren't we.
Posted by: Gus | Sep 5, 2006 11:03:11 AM
This is just small fry, likely done as an effort to show "we mean business". All the while large companies in the US employ illegal aliens and very little happens to them. If it does they just pick up the phone and call the politicians who pull the plug on ICE.
Posted by: Steven Marler | Sep 5, 2006 2:27:41 PM
What the hell are you idiots talking about, "small fry", "we're really go after the big fish aren't we". These people are terrorists. They intend to kill each of us. One guy with one bomb and kill many people. Wake up America! In 1993 we ignored the WTC bombing. When will we wake up?
Posted by: Brian | Sep 5, 2006 8:24:12 PM
Whats to say that they are not smuggling terrorists?
We have to stop it.
Posted by: bob b. | Sep 5, 2006 9:24:21 PM
Whats to say that they are not smuggling terrorists?
We have to stop it.
Posted by: bob b. | Sep 5, 2006 9:26:29 PM
Boy, these Russians are stupid - no wonder they lost the Cold War. All they had to do was dress up the Russian illegals as Cubans and the USG would have met them with a brass band.
Posted by: bureaubasher | Sep 5, 2006 9:54:48 PM
Don't you call Russians stupid!!! Some of them are my relitives, they a lot more smarter people than Americans, trust me! Look what they did for years and they just got cought...
Posted by: Roza | Nov 27, 2006 12:30:23 AM
To BUREAUBASHER
You have no idea what you're talking about. When did the Russians lose the Cold War? It is not a fact, same as US sending a man to the moon (which never happened, BELIEVE ME) Until this day Russian Federation posesses enough nuclear power (subject of the cold war) to blow up planet Earth more than 18 times. Check your stats, partner.
Posted by: Russian | Nov 27, 2006 12:41:03 PM
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