RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – A Russian couple who lived a lavish life behind the gates of a sprawling North Carolina mansion hid an explosive secret, prosecutors said this week: They were living off a scheme that produced $150 million in kickbacks from subcontractors seeking business with Russia’s military.
On top of that, federal prosecutors also said the husband, Leonid Teyf, was plotting to kill a man – the son of a former housekeeper – whom he suspected of having an affair with his wife.
Now, the 57-year-old Teyf, his wife and three others face charges ranging from money laundering to immigration fraud. Teyf has also been charged with murder-for-hire.
The money-laundering scheme dates back to around 2010, during Teyf’s time as deputy director of a company called Voentorg that provided Russia’s military with laundry, food and other equipment, according to a federal indictment. Voentorg, in turn, sought goods from subcontractors and Teyf demanded a cut of government funds they were paid – kickbacks that grew to $150 million in cash over a two-year-period, prosecutors said.
“Some of the money was paid to others involved in the scheme, and some of the money was placed in accounts under Leonid Teyf’s control”, federal authorities wrote in a news release Thursday.