From fictitious marriage to deportation: the path of the main Russian mafia in the United States

Vyacheslav Ivankov nicknamed Yaponchik, a failed gymnast and mental hospital patient, was one of the most famous mafiosi in Russia. The Jap achieved everything in the Russian criminal world, and at the dawn of the 1990s he left for the USA. Overseas, Yaponchik achieved unprecedented success, becoming an authority on an international scale.

Jap in Allenwood Prison
Photo: Prime Crime

His story told the publicationLenta.ru report".

Failed gymnast

Ivankov's childhood was quite complicated. When the boy was 10 years old, his father left the family. The mother had her own problems - she suffered from misophobia (mental disorder, obsessive fear of pollution or infection): she could change and wash clothes several times a day, bathed the floor with bleach and even ironed paper money, hoping to destroy all germs on them . Vyacheslav, whom no one was particularly concerned with, grew up as a painful boy, with weak lungs and a heart.

Everything changed in the middle classes, when Slava, tired of peer bullying, decided to seriously engage in sports. Due to the state of health, the school and district sections did not shine for him, and then he developed his own system of training, which was based on the martial arts Ju-Jitsu. It is not known where in the 50-s he managed to get the necessary benefits, but he mastered the struggle and demonstrated the acquired skills to the offenders. After two or three such lessons, classmates began to reckon with the opinion of a mature Ivan'kov.

After school, he entered the State School of Circus Arts (GUTI), where he decided to study aerial gymnastics. But he soon left the school, got a job as a mechanic and got married. Young wife and son demanded money, which he had little. Then, deciding to use his agility in the criminal craft, Ivankov became a pickpocket.

Once in a mental hospital

The first time a pickpocket fell into the hands of law enforcement officers was in the spring of 1965, when he turned 25 years old. Paying attention to the excessive rage and some confusion of consciousness of the detainee, law enforcement officers sent him for a psychiatric examination - specialists from Moscow Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 diagnosed Ivankov with schizophrenia. The issue of imprisonment was closed, and Vyacheslav was sent for compulsory treatment.

At first, Ivankov even liked being treated: a large amount of free time allowed him to improve himself - he read books, textbooks for high school, was interested in criminal law and manuals on psychiatry. However, he soon got tired of this and escaped.

From dirt to Kings

Soon he fell into a Mongol gang, where he was able to fully manifest his many criminal talents, becoming one of the most famous mobsters in the city.

Ivankov's coronation took place in April 1974, in the walls of the famous Butyrka.

The popularity of Yaponchik in the criminal world, not only in the capital, but also in the whole of Russia, grew by leaps and bounds, which the authorities did not like very much. He was periodically detained and imprisoned for short periods.

However, his clashes with rivals and opponents were getting tougher and 29 on April 1982, Ivankov received 14 years in prison with a sentence being served in a penal colony.

Coming out of prison for parole in November 1991, he held a grandiose thieves' meeting in the Metropol restaurant disguised as a holiday in honor of his release. And in the spring of 1992, he went abroad - first to Germany, and from there to the USA.

International thief

By chance, when the 52-year-old Yaponchik arrived in America, the throne of the leader of the Russian mafia in the United States was formally empty. Headed her after death Yevsey Agron In 1989, Marat Balagula rattled in prison for fraud, while his entourage did not fit the role of leaders: some were soon shot dead, while others were carried away by dividing the spheres of influence, not paying attention to the heated situation. Therefore, Yaponchik could not head the Russian mafia overseas: the locals had heard about the "exploits" of the thief in law in his homeland and recognized Ivankov's authority.

Very soon, in the criminal world of America, rumors about the principles and cruelty of the “Russian Japanese” began to circulate. The local was greatly impressed by the story of how at the end of 70's authority dealt with one of the henchmen who allowed himself unacceptable audacity. The gangsters of Jap gathered in a safe house to share a rich catch from the next robbery - a large number of jewels. The boss ordered to send most of the thieves obshchak, and the remaining split.

At some point, the Jap noticed that one of his people quickly shoved a diamond necklace into his pocket. The authority, which was soon on reprisal, immediately took away the stolen goods, and punished the rat on the spot: he took out a pistol and shot him in the head through a pillow. Another legend also went: allegedly Jap. Often executed the guilty, throwing them off from a helicopter.

Meanwhile, once in the United States, the thief in the law was not thrilled by such fame; it was not part of his plans to become “number one”. Yaponchika was quite happy with the role of the gray cardinal, who, on the one hand, supported peace between the Caucasian and Slavic groups on both sides of the ocean, and on the other, he established connections between Russian and American crime. Along the way, Ivankov, who was subordinate to 250 people, supervised several popular restaurants in Manhattan and organized a money laundering company in Brooklyn.

There was talk that the Jap was actively involved in the oil and gambling business, trade in jewelry and antiques, as well as in the supply of cocaine and heroin in the United States. However, the last Ivankov categorically denied, declaring that the drug business is "so sinful, it is so much a crime ... it has always been censured and condemned."

It is curious that, with such a scale of activity in the United States, the authority did not bother to master even the basics of the English language, although he had abilities - he knew Armenian and Assyrian well. At important meetings, Jap took a translator with him, in other cases he explained on fingers.

Jap and Alexander Timoshenko (Timokha, right) in the USA
Photo: Prime Crime

Despite the turbulent activity in the States, Ivankov managed, through his henchmen, to participate in the affairs of practically all the major organized criminal groups (OPG) of Russia and hosted their leaders. It was rumored that in the summer of 1993, the leader of the formidable Orekhovskaya OPG Sergey Timofeev (Sylvester), who came to the United States, received the go-ahead from Jap to occupy the criminal throne of Moscow. However, there were those who questioned this version: the relationship between the two tycoons of the criminal world was strained after 1992, when the killer of the Orekhovsky killed the thief in law Vitya Kalina, son of beloved girlfriend Yaponchika Kalina Nikiforova. But Ivankov’s close contacts with Solntsevo OPG no one had any doubts: for the patronage of the thief in law, the leadership of the group generously shared their incomes with it.

The Jap often hosted the authorities from the former USSR who had settled in the USA and were friends with many of them - for example, Musheg Azatyan (Misha Pitersky) was a thief in law who was considered to be his right hand. Ivankov even became the godfather of Azatyan.

Realized it

A bright thought “And where, in fact, is Jap?” Came to the Russian detectives only when Ivankov, who was released by parole, did not appear at the police station for another mandatory mark. Detectives were shocked: they did not expect their departure to the USA from one of the main authorities of the post-Soviet space with many years of prison experience. Recognizing that the Jap in the States, the Russian law enforcement officers immediately sent their American counterparts a lot of compromising evidence against the kingpin.

Already after the fact, the detectives found out that for traveling overseas Ivankov was registered in a hostel in the Rostov region and received a passport as an employee through a bogus Soviet-American enterprise. He appealed to the US embassy, ​​hid his criminal record and thus got a visa. Everything else turned out that the Jap was married again: his companion of life was a US citizen of Russian origin, accompanist by profession Irina. The fact that the marriage was fictitious, knew all the surrounding authority; Yapadchik spoke very negatively about his “cover-up”, and the only evidence of their “fiery” love was a couple of photos, where a smiling Irina embraces the sullen Ivankov.

However, on the move to prove the falsification of marriage and other misdemeanors Jap, and so that he was guaranteed to be behind bars, it was very difficult. Employees FBI in the end, a case helped: in April 1993, two people from Russia turned to them for help. New York businessmen told that they are the owners of an investment company and have recently been subjected to aggressive pressure from Ivankov.

Claims Jap, as you might guess, concerned the money: some time ago, an acquaintance of businessmen, the owner of one of the Moscow banks (in fact, the financial pyramid) lent them nearly three million dollars at eight percent a month. True, the banker did not have time to get his interest: his brainchild started having serious financial problems, and against the background of an impending bankruptcy, he laid hands on himself. His deputy went to collect debts in the United States, who demanded the return of both debt and interest - a total of 3,5 million dollars. However, they only threw up their hands: that, because of the brokerage mistakes of their employee, they lost everything they had. Then the deputy of the deceased and turned for help to Jap.

Such a request to him was a joy: the authority liked to flaunt its generosity in terms of helping compatriots, calling it “their duty”. He began to process the debtors immediately, and so that they would immediately understand: excuses will not help. To begin with, Yaponchik made inquiries and found out that businessmen are clearly not in trouble and every time they visit the restaurant (and, by coincidence, he was under the roof of Ivankov) they left at least 300-500 dollars. In addition, merchants often visited casinos where people with empty pockets do not go.

With a single meeting with debtors, Jap did not threaten them: one of his names spoke for itself. Frightened businessmen immediately realized that they were, and appealed to the American law enforcement officers. The intelligence services detained Ivankov 8 on June 1995 of the year in a mansion, which he managed to acquire in New York. In addition to extortion, the authority was also accused of concluding a fictitious marriage: testimony to Jap was given by Irina, who was hidden under a witness protection program. Recalling the details of his arrest, the thief resented: "I am a quiet, modest person, and a group of 20 people with machine guns came to arrest me ...".

American Justice

To defend Jap at the trial, which took place on 1,5 a year later, after he was imprisoned, Barry Slotnik, a popular lawyer in the United States, who specializes in working with criminal elements, took up the case. Among other things, he was a personal lawyer for the mafia family of Genovese, who at one time played a major role in the fate of the “father” of the Russian mafia in the United States, Yevsey Agron.

Slotnik began to put his business opponents Ivankov as real fiends of hell, putting pressure on the fact that they simply slandered his client. Without being embarrassed by the presence of the victims, the lawyer generously poured in their direction with unflattering epithets, calling the merchants fraudsters and swindlers who used the company only for their dark deeds.

Those present at the trial recalled several more techniques of a cunning lawyer. First, during the interrogation of witnesses for the prosecution, Slotnik actively tried to catch them in connection with various criminal authorities. And secondly, recalling the criminal past of his client, the lawyer argued that the criminal prosecution of Ivankov was nothing more than repression and manifestation of Soviet totalitarianism. Jap always resided in the image of a slandered dissident and complained of active attempts law enforcement and journalists denigrate his honest name.

Cleverly exacerbating the situation, Slotnik maximally heated the atmosphere during the process, while trying to whitewash Jap. In this case, the lawyer was absolutely confident of success, having convinced his client of the best outcome of the case. Therefore, the verdict of the court - 9 years and 7 months in prison - was heard both for the defense and for Ivankov himself like a bolt from the blue. However, having recovered a little, Slotnik immediately began to wriggle out and told reporters who surrounded him at the exit from the court that such a period was a victory, because the prosecution initially asked 20 for years. And Yaponchik, meanwhile, humbly went to serve his sentence in the specially guarded federal prison "Allenwood" in the state of Pennsylvania.

Battle prisoner

Once in places not so remote, Ivankov quickly defended the right to immunity there - he endured a psychological battle with African Americans, who tried to revealing the humble beginner. It all started with the fact that the Jap seriously quarreled with the black inmates for the full occupation of several televisions in the recreation area. The verbal skirmish ended in that the authority, spitting on the discontent of opponents, switched the TV to the channel of interest. The embittered African-Americans called Ivankov the last words and promised to give him an hour of reckoning for tomorrow’s walk.

Enlisting the support of Italian prisoners, Jap quickly got a knife and tape - he knew perfectly well that, according to the laws of prison fights, they would try to bite through his hand so that he would drop his weapon. The next day, sticking the blade tightly to his hand, Ivankov hid his hand in his pocket and went for a walk. Seeing the crowd of enemies coming toward him, the authority did not save, pulled out a knife and moved towards them; the Italians followed him. Not expecting such a turn, African Americans, deciding not to bring to the bloodshed, were quick to offer Ivankov a truce, which he wisely accepted.

Nobody ever entered into conflicts with Jap - and he calmly shook the sentence in a small cell for two. The monastery’s small size was probably the only drawback of American prison realities. Three meals a day, a good gym, a tennis court, a video room - hardly a Russian colony can boast of all of this. True, in 1999, heroin was found in Ivankov's cell during a search, and as punishment he was transferred to the wing for especially dangerous criminals, but this circumstance did not greatly complicate the life of a thief in law.

While Yaponchik was serving a sentence in the United States, the Russian special services were planning how to extend his sentence, but already at home. There was no reason to search for a long time: the operatives remembered the incident that occurred in January 1992 in the capital's restaurant Fidan. He was very popular among the rich Turks - they served the best dishes of national cuisine. One of the January (according to other data - February) days for dinner at the "Fidan" a Jap looked in the company of a friend and accomplice Vyacheslav Shestakov (Plum).

After dinner, the crime tandem went to the wardrobe to pick up the outerwear. Following them, three Turks entered the room - and the cloakroom attendant, counting on good tips, decided to serve them first. Such an act did not like the ambitious Jap, who did not hesitate to express everything he thinks to both the dressmaker and the three guests. They knew Russian well and understood perfectly how unflattering authority was about them. A scuffle ensued, during which Ivankov took out a pistol and fired his opponents at close range. Two of them died on the spot, the third was saved by an impressive bundle of cash in a breast pocket: a bullet stuck in it and miraculously did not reach the heart.

At first, when investigating this case, the law enforcement officers were at a deadlock: both the cloakroom attendant and the restaurant’s security guard, who witnessed the massacre, claimed that they did not know the gunman. And when at the end of 90-x it turned out that Ivankov shot, he was already in a US prison. Since there were no other reasons to put Jap after his return to Russia, the detectives decided to raise the story of the shooting in the Fidan restaurant. However, it was not easy: the statute of limitations on the case inexorably expired, but Procuracy managed to suspend him, declaring Jap in 2000, a wanted list and accusing him in absentia of murder. This move allowed to discuss the deportation of authority. In June, 2004, the United States received an official request from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office to extradite Ivankov, and a positive decision was soon made on it.

From left to right: Mushegh Azatian (Misha Pitersky), Nodar Farizyan (Nono), Vyacheslav Ivankov (Jap) in the USA
Photo: Prime Crime

Royal return

In the American prison, Yaponchik eventually spent about eight years and was released on parole - according to the legal practice in the United States, the term was reduced by the federal law 15 percent. However, on the release day of 64-year-old Ivankov immediately fell into the hands of immigration officers and was immediately sent to Russia. To this end, the American side allocated a civilian plane (usually used by the military, but they were all involved in operations in Iraq), and Russian special services officers who had flown in to the United States accompanied the thief.

After landing in the capital Sheremetyevo Airport The Jap, accompanied by a column of special vehicles from 15, along the Leningradskoye Highway blocked for the sake of such an affair, was taken to the Matrosskaya Tishina. The thief had only a historical book with him, which he, however, did not report to the camera - in a fit of irritation he threw it at one of the journalists who vexed him.

Soon Ivankov charged with double murder. However, no matter how trying the guards to prove the guilt of Jap and to put him in jail again, they did not succeed. The surviving Turk, who had already returned to his homeland in 90, categorically refused to go to Moscow and participate in the process. It did not work out with witnesses either: by the beginning of the trial, the main eyewitness, the cloakroom attendant, died, and the rest could not tell the court anything that would clarify the essence of the matter.

As a result, on July 18 2005, the jury found Ivankova innocent. Once free, Jap stated that he was tired, he was moving away from criminal cases and was going to fish and mess with his grandchildren. And indeed, until the summer of 2009, little was known about him. According to some reports, shortly after the trial, the authority hastily departed back to the United States, where he continued to do his usual business. True, it is much more cautious and cautious - Japonchik obviously did not want to go back to the stage, even if it was American.

Perhaps the most remarkable episode of that period of Ivankov’s life was the conflict of influential thieves in law - Tariel Oniani (Taro) and Aslan Usoyana (Ded Hasan)in which Jap took the side of the latter. Together with Usoyan, they did not recognize the title of thieves Tarot, which, according to one version, and cost Ivan's life. At the beginning of 2009, he, to his misfortune, returned to Russia to personally participate in the metropolitan gaming business section.

The end of the thieves legend

After the acquittal in Russia, Yaponchik loved to repeat how glad he was to return and be at home again and again. “I returned to my homeland, and for me it is a great holiday, great events. I see all of you, for me it is also a holiday, because you are my compatriots. You are the sons and daughters of the Russian people. I am your bit, ”the authority surrounding journalists told him once in a good mood.

The Jap didn’t even guess that the next voyage to Russia would be his last. On the fateful 27 day of July 2009 for the year around 17: 30, he arrived with two bodyguards at the Thai Elephant restaurant on Khoroshevskoye Highway. There, the thief planned to dine and meet with a confidant of Ded Hasan to discuss business matters. The conversation did not last long - and soon they one by one left the restaurant. When Ivankov went out on the porch of the “Thai Elephant”, the clock showed 18: 30. They fired from a nearby Gazel unexpectedly: the bodyguards did not have time to understand, the Jap fell to the ground, and a large bloody stain spread on his stomach. The killer shot again, but missed.

While the bodyguards brought the boss back to the restaurant and tried to stop the blood with improvised means, the shooter managed to escape: in the back of the Gazel the arriving operatives found only an abandoned Dragunov sniper rifle (SVD). There were no fingerprints on it. Meanwhile, the ambulance delivered the wounded Japonchik to the Botkin hospital, where he was urgently operated on. By the way, it is still unclear why the killer shot it in the stomach. According to one version, he aimed at the groin, but missed. According to another, he shot his stomach specifically so that before his death, Ivankov would suffer.

The second version looks plausible: most likely, the killer served in hot spots and knew that a wound to the stomach not only incapacitates a person, but in most cases leads to peritonitis. And so it happened: the wound of Jap caused an inflammation of the abdominal cavity, from which he never recovered. Ivankov stayed in artificial coma until mid-autumn 2009, having survived a clinical death in September. And on October 9, the heart of 69-year-old Jap stopped forever. Ironically, the famous kingpin died in the same cancer center on Kashirka, where his mentor left this world in 1994. Gennady Karkov (Mongolian): Ivankov was transferred there shortly after the completion of the first operation at the Botkin Hospital.

Recognized about the death of Yaponchik, the journalists began to besiege the morgue of the oncology center, and Yaponchik’s relatives decided to transport his body to another morgue - on the Volokolamsk highway, where criminal authorities could say goodbye to him. Formally, the funeral was managed by Grandfather Hassan through his assistants: he himself was at that time abroad. Those organized for Yaponchik the most expensive coffin of all that was available - with air conditioning, lighting and other rather strange accessories. By the most conservative estimates, the funeral of Ivankov was worth more than a million dollars.

The last orphanage, the brightest criminal authority of Russia, found at the Vagankovo ​​cemetery, next to the grave of the mother: she died in 1984 from a heart attack because of feelings about her son. The tomb of Yaponchik to this day remains a place of pilgrimage not only for people involved in the criminal world, but also for ordinary onlookers, who rush to capture themselves against the background of the grave of a thief in law. Ivankov, as befits a man of his status, was erected with a pompous monument - without inscriptions, but with a figure in full growth.

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