FBI's Operation ACHing Mule

While visiting a Russian news site working on getting proper Cyrillic spellings for the Zeus criminals, I saw the first time the name of the FBI Operation. "Operation ACHing Mule" -- Love it!

ACHing of course has the double meaning -- these mules are in pain (aching) -- but also that these mules are performing "Automated Clearing House" bank transfers between victim bank accounts and their "mule" bank accounts.

Here is how "webplanet.ru" spelled them in their story. I've inserted the English next to each name:

"Citizens of Russia"

Артём Цыганков (Artem Tsygankov *), Софья Дикова (Sofya Dikova *), Максим Панферов (Maxim Panferov *), Кристина Извекова (Kristina Izvekova *), Артём Семёнов (Artem Semenov *), Альмира Рахматулина (Almira Rakhmatulina *), Юлия Шпирко (Julia Shpirko *), Максим Мирошниченко (Maxim Miroshnichenko), Юлия Сидоренко (Julia Sidorenko), Кристина Свечинская (Kristina Svechinskaya), Станислав Расторгуев (Stanislav Rastorguev *), Маргарита Пахомова (Margarita Pakhomova), Илья Карасёв (Ilya Karasev *), Марина Мисюра (Marina Misyura), Николай Гарифулин (Nikolai Garifulin *), Дмитрий Сапрунов (Dmitry Saprunov *), Касум Адыгюзелов (Kasum Adigyuzelov), Сабина Рафикова (Sabina Rafikova), Адель Гатауллин (Adel Gataullin), Руслан Ковтанюк (Ruslan Kovtanyuk), Юлия Клепикова (Yulia Klepikova *) , Наталия Дёмина (Natalia Demina), Александр Сорокин (Alexandr Sorokin), Александр Фёдоров (Alexander Fedorov) and Антон Юферицын (Anton Yuferitsyn)

"Citizens of Moldova"
Марина Опря (Marina Oprea *), Каталина Кортак (Catilina Cortac *), Йон Волосчук (Ion Volosciuc *), Лильян Адам (Lilian Adam *), Дорин Кодряну (Dorin Codreanu *), Виктория Опинка (Victoria Opinca) and Алина Турута (Alina Turuta)

"Citizenship not specified"
Александра Киреева (Alexander Kireev) and Константина Акобирова (Konstantin Akobirov)

* - SEVENTEEN of the criminals listed are still "at large" are indicated above with an asterisk. If you are in the New York, New Jersey, or Las Vegas areas and party with Russian criminals, you might have more information about them. Please see yesterday's blog post, New York FBI: 17 Wanted Zeus Criminals if you think you can help.

The Operation ACHing Mule press release (34 page PDF) lists many separate but related law enforcement cases, and the charges for each case.

In each of the cases below, the charges are given and the fines. I'm going to list the charge categories here, and then we'll show the same number after each person's name:

1 - Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud (up to 30 years, $1 M)
2 - Conspiracy to Possess False Identification Documents (up to 15 years, $250k)
3 - False Use of Passport (up to 10 years, $250k)
4 - Money Laundering (up to 20 years, $500k)
5 - Transfer of False Identification Documents (up to 5 years, $250k)
6 - Bank Fraud (up to 30 years, $1 M)
7 - Production of False Identification Documents (up to 15 years, $250k)
8 - Posession of False Immigration Documents (up to 10 years, $250k)
9 - False Use of Passport (up to 10 years, $250k)
10 - Conspiracy to Produce False Identification Documents (up to 15 years, $250k)
11 - Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud (up to 20 years, $250k)
12 - Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering (up to 20 years, $250k)

On each charge, the fine can be replaced with "twice the gross gain or loss" of their actual crime, so for example "$250k fine or up to twice the gross gain or loss."

In reality, no one ever gets NEARLY the sentence. So for example, Anton Yuferitsyn has already been sentenced. Instead of "20 years and $500k fine" he got ten months and $38k in restitution.

United States v. Artem Tsygankov, et al. (10 Mag. 2126)

Artem Tsygankov, age 22 (charged with: 1, 2)
Sofia Dikova, age 20 (1,2)
Maxim Panferov, age 23 (1,2,3)
Kristina Izvekova, age 22 (1,2,3)

United States v. Artem Semenov, et al (10 Mag. 2154)

Artem Semenov, age 23 (1,2,3)
Almira Rakhmatulina, age 20 (1,2,3)
Julia Shpirko, age 20 (1, 2)

United States v. Maxim Miroshnichenko, et al. (10 Mag. 2141)

Maxim Miroshnichenko, age 22 (1,2)
Julia Sidorenko, age 22 (1,2,3)

United States v. Marina Oprea (10 Mag. 2142)

Marina Oprea, age 20, (1,2)
Catalina Cortac, age 21 (1,2)
Ion Volosciuc, age 19 (1,2)
Lilian Adam, age 21 (1,2)

United States v. Kristina Svechinskaya, et al. (10 Mag. 2137)

Kristina Svechinskaya, age 21 (1,3)
Stanislav Rastorguev, age 22 (1,3)

United States v. Margarita Pakhomova (10 Mag. 2136)

Margarita Pakhomova, age 21 (1,3)

United States v. Ilya Karasev (10 Mag. 2127)

Ilya Karasev, age 22 (1,2,3)

United States v. Marina Misyura (10 Mag. 2125)

Marina Misyura, age 22 (1,3)

United States v. Nikolai Garifulin, et al. (10 Mag. 2138)

Nikolai Garifulin, age 21 (1)
Dmitry Saprunov, age 22 (1,3)

United States v. Dorin Codreanu (10 Mag. 2152)

Dorin Codreanu, age 21, (1)

United States v. Victoria Opinca, et al. (10 Mag. 2153)

Victoria Opinca, age 21, (1)
Alina Turuta, age 21, (1)

United States v. Alexander Kireev (10 Mag. 1356)

Alexander Kireev, age 22, (4)

United States v. Kasum Adigyuzelov (10 Mag. 1622)

Kasum Adigyuzelov, age 25, (1,5)

United States v. Sabina Rafikova (10 Mag. 1623)

Sabina Rafikova, age 23, (6,7,8)

United States v. Konstantin Akobirov (10 Mag. 1659)

Konstantin Akobirov, age 25, (6,9)

United States v. Adel Gataullin (10 Mag. 1680)

Adel Gataullin, age 22, (6, 7, 9)

United States v. Ruslan Kovtanyuk (10 Mag. 1827)

Ruslan Kovtanyuk, age 24, (6, 9)

United States v. Yulia Klepikova, et al. (10 Mag. 1753)

Yulia Klepikova, age 22 (1, 9, 10)
Natalia Demina, age 23 (1, 9)

United States v. Alexandr Sorokin (10 Cr. 437 (RWS))

Alexandr Sorokin, age 23 (4)

Plead guilty on June 16, 2010 (sentencing Oct 4, 2010)

United States v. Alexander Fedorov (10 Cr. 873 (KTD))

Alexander Fedorov, age 24 (4)

Plead guilty on September 27, 2010 (sentencing Jan 5, 2011)

United States v. Anton Yuferitsyn (10 Cr. 134 (JGK))

Anton Yuferitsyn, age 26 (4)

Plead guilty on Feb 19, 2010, sentenced on June 25, 2010 to ten months in prison and $38,413 in restitution.

United States v. Jamal Beyrouti et al.(10 Mag. 2134)

Jamal Beyrouti, age 53 (11, 12)
Lorenzo Babbo, age 20 (11,12)
Vincenzo Vitello, age 29 (11,12)