A blow to maternity tourism in Miami: what is behind the FBI's affairs against Russian-speaking companies

Miami, which has long been a center of maternity tourism for women from post-Soviet countries, is in its second week of discussing big news - the FBI raided two companies that helped organize childbirth. Russian-speaking immigrants and tourists. One of them is a medical clinic Sunny Medical Center, which is located in the Miami suburb of Sunny Isles Beach, the second is a childbirth agency Miami-mama in Hallandale.

During the raids, law enforcement officials took out equipment and documents from the offices of both companies. Co-owners of the medical center Sunny Medical Center, spouses Alexei and Faith Music, arrested. Alexey was charged with four charges: theft on a large scale, organized fraud, violation of license conditions, fraud with insurance payments. Alexey was released on bail of $ 27 500 on Wednesday, 21 of June, Vera was released on Friday of 22 of June. The charges that she presented, as the amount of bail, are unknown.

Alexey and Vera Music. Photo: from the personal archive of the Faith of Music

In the office Miami-mama for fraud with documents taken into custody took a notary company, 35-year-old Yevgeny Kovtunenko. As of June 27, he was still in custody.

It is unknown whether the raids are connected. Law enforcement officials have not yet provided any comments. ForumDaily.

Investigation against Sunny Medical Center

Multidisciplinary Medical Center Sunny Medical Center opened in the suburb of Miami, Sunny Isles Beach, in 2014 year. The main focus of the center was the organization of childbirth for residents of post-Soviet countries who wanted to give birth to a child in good conditions and give him American citizenship. EstablishWhether clinics have come to the point with a choice of business, because in the wake of political problems in Ukraine and Russia, the demand for childbirth in the United States grew exponentially. Even though Sunny Medical Center He was far from being the first organization in Miami with a similar profile, he quickly unwound and became popular on the open spaces of the Russian-speaking Internet.

Beautiful site, photos of smiling founders and a lot of positive reviews on third-party sites and the famous forum deliveryinusa - in other words, Sunny Medical Center inspired confidence among potential customers.

A significant role was played by Dr. Mariana Bubucha, who in September 2014 became medical director Sunny Medical Center and its co-founder in one person, having entered into a partnership agreement with other co-founders - spouses Vera and Alexey Muzyka and Vladimir Nevidomy. According to the agreement, she was entitled not only to a salary, but also to dividends at the end of each quarter.

From left to right: Vladimir Nevidomy, friends of Sunny Medical center, Alexey and Vera Muzyka. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/vera.baranova.

“I came to the medical center at the invitation of one of the founders. All my patients came with me. I attended about 30 births a month and worked at 100%. I was confident in my partners and was doing what I loved,” says Maryana Bubucha in an exclusive commentary for ForumDaily.

At the end of the quarter, she invited the founders to sit down and calculate the profit in order to understand what amount was due to her.

“I asked for a bank account statement, but was refused. One of the partners said that I do not have access to the account, and he will explain everything to me on paper. After which he said that there was no money,” the doctor recalls.

Since Bubuchi had never had a company before, she did not know that she should have full access to a bank account along with other founders by law. However, everything that happened outraged her and she decided to turn to a lawyer.

“I knew how many births we carry out every month and, simply multiplying the number by the cost of the service, I realized that they were trying to deceive me,” shares Maryana Bubucha.

After consulting with a lawyer, the doctor decided to leave the company and withdraw from the contract. After that, as she claims, she began to receive sms on her mobile phone with threats of a different nature, and in social networks unexpectedly unflattering feedback appeared on her work and personal qualities.

The woman was frightened and turned to private Russian-speaking detective Steve Dudnik. He undertook to investigate the activities Sunny Medical Center. At the same time, Mariana sued the founders of the medical center because of incorrect execution of the contract.

“There was a big conflict between Maryana and the other founders because she left. Music even tried to raise his hand against her. Not to mention the slander Maryana had to endure. There was bullying from all sides. Music later sued her for becoming their competitor and demanded compensation,” Steve Dudnik clarifies.

Steve says the court between Mariana and the other founders Sunny Medical Center lasts so far. Bubucha, in turn, declares that he has no complaints against former partners, besides the execution of the contract. Although, he says, there are questions to their activities.

“Many are talking about insurance, which allegedly carried out frauds in Sunny Medical Center. I’m not sure about this, but what I do know is that the founders did not comply with the terms and conditions of the state of Florida regarding the presence of a doctor in the company’s charter,” says Mariana.

“In fact, the clinic operated illegally for 2 years, although it could not exist without a doctor in the charter at all,” detective Steve Dudnik confirms her words.

He also says that in the course of the investigation his team found many other violations that he was obliged to submit to the FBI.

Steve Dudnik. Photo: from the personal archive of Steve Dudnik

“If during the course of the investigation circumstances emerge that indicate that this is a crime against the United States of America, the detective is obliged to transfer the information to the FBI. Such circumstances, as you understand, existed,” says Steve Dudnik.

The Russian-speaking diaspora does not stand aside and actively discusses the conflict, suggesting that it was the investigation of detective Steve Dudnik at the request of Mariana Bubuchi that caused the FBI to visit the medical center in Sunny Isles Beach.

The owners of the medical center Sunny Medical Center comment ForumDaily not allowed. One of the founders, Vera Muzyka, initially agreed to talk with us, however, after that she postponed the meeting several times, and then completely refused her, referring to her lawyer, who forbids her to comment on what is happening.

Partner of Faith and Alexey, Vladimir Nevidomy, who, according to a source familiar with the situation, did not work for about a year Sunny Medical Center, but was still its founder, a few days after the FBI raid he independently surrendered to the authorities. It is not yet known what charges were brought against him. During a journalistic investigation conducted ForumDaily, another detail has emerged: Vladimir was charged with illegally selling night vision devices in 2013, and he faces a prison sentence of up to 45 years (20 years for circumventing US State Department sanctions, 5 years for conspiring with people, and another 20 years for money laundering).

Vladimir Nevidomy (left) also appears in another case that is being investigated by the FBI. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/vera.baranova

A person familiar with the situation in Sunny Medical Center, on condition of anonymity told ForumDailythat there were violations in the company’s activities, because few people work 100% honestly. In particular, tax evasion, because in most cases the company worked with cash.

However, big politics could have been mixed up in this matter. Statements by President Donald Trump with promises to overcome maternity tourism and stop distributing American passports to the right and to the left to all those born in the United States actually determined the current priorities for law enforcement.

This indirectly confirms Galina Abaeva, employee Sunny Medical Centerwhere the FBI came. She first refused to give comments ForumDailyand a few days later she got in touch.

"FBI agents asked everyone if we helped illegally give birth in the US (meaning illegal receipt of insurance for the poor Medicaid. - Author) and demanded lists of patients to verify this data. We learned about insurance, assistance in obtaining visas and American passports for children, and much more,” said Galina Abaeva.

Same customers Sunny Medical Centercontacted ForumDaily, expressed extreme concern about the situation, asserting that their cooperation with the company was top notch.

Frauds with passports in Miami-mama

Last Wednesday, FBI agents also visited the offices of one of the longest-established birth management companies in Miami - Miami-mama. She works with 2009 of the year and offers not only services regarding childbirth and pregnancy in Florida, but also assistance in renting housing, cars and other things. Cost of delivery packages ranges from $ 6 900 to $ 49 900.

The cost of the packages is impressive. Photo: http://miami-mama.com/

As a result of the search, the company's 35-year-old notary, Evgeniy Kovtunenko, was taken into custody. accused of conspiracy to commit a crime against the United States and false statements on federal applications. It is assumed that the company manager Miami-mama certified documents for newborn Americans without the actual presence of fathers, as required by law. In fact, fathers were far outside the United States.

Steve Dudnik believes that Kovtunenko could provide similar services and medical center Sunny Medical Center.

It is also interesting that with Miami-mama Vera herself is connected Music, co-founder Sunny Medical Centerwho previously worked in the Russian office of the company Miami-mama. The network even walks through a video that captures how Music got caught by customers' deception: Vera advertised services Miami-mama and a doctor, mentioning the name of the star client - Kristina Orbakaite, who in fact never used the services of this company. Orbakaite even recorded a video message where she shamed the management Miami-mama.

Company owner Konstantin Lubnevsky does not comment on what happened. Site Miami-mama continues to work, and the courteous girl answers the phone calls, assuring that the office is functioning as before, and the FBI raid was a simple test of Russian businesses.

Konstantin Lubnevsky does not comment on the FBI raid. Photo: from the personal archive of Konstantin Lubnevsky

"We are fine. There was a check, but we answered all current questions. Of course, our reputation has been damaged, and this is very unpleasant. Now we are working as usual,” she said. ForumDaily representative Miami-mama.

How maternity tourism developed in the USA

The United States of America is one of those countries that has jus soli. It states that the child becomes a citizen of the state in whose territory he was born. Upon reaching 21 years of age, such children can petition to be reunited with their parents, so They are also called "children-anchors." Thus, thanks to one child, the whole family in the future gets the opportunity to legally gain a foothold in the United States.

For this reason, the birth assistance tourism has emerged and developed in America, which the current US President Donald Trump plans to do away with.

The heart of maternity tourism is sunny and warm Miami in Florida, where immigrants from the former CIS countries and Latin Americans come to give birth. California is in second place, hosting mainly Chinese tourists.

Sunny Medical Center и Miami-mama are far from the first companies to work with women in labor from other countries who have had problems with the law.

In 2015, the feds raided the so-called pregnant hotels that were located in Southern California. Residents of China who flew to America on a fake visa and paid about 80 thousand dollars for an opportunity to give US citizenship to their baby lived in these complexes. Many Chinese agencies specifically advised their clients to fly in the third month of pregnancy, when the stomach was not yet visible, and when submitting a visa application form, not to disclose the real purpose of the visit, which is a violation of federal law. However, the arrest of the organizers of maternity tours did not reach.

Less lucky clinic Madowlands in new jersey. In 2016, the clinic actively advertised the program. AmeriMama, the essence of which was that the clinic employees for $ 8,5 – 27,5 thousands offered not only services for the maintenance of childbirth, but also services for registration of citizenship papers, passports and visas for the child. US lawmakers have suggested that a private clinic is engaged in the sale of American citizenship, and closed the program.

However, giving birth on a tourist visa in the United States of America is not a violation of the law. Especially if the expectant mother indicates the real reason in the visa application form - medical tourism - and pays for the services of the hospital and doctor from her own wallet. Giving birth on a tourist visa at taxpayers' expense is a completely different matter. We are talking about insurance for low-income people - Medicaid or Medicaid Emergency. The peculiarities of American medicine are such that in the hospital they first give help and then ask about payment, and therefore there are cases when tourists from different countries came, gave birth for free insurance and returned home without paying a cent.

Read also on ForumDaily:

FBI came with raids to two Miami medical centers, where Russian-speaking women came to give birth

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