A Brooklyn man pleaded guilty Tuesday to helping launder more than $8 million in health care fraud proceeds through a U.S. bank on behalf of a transnational criminal organization, federal prosecutors stated.
Renat Abramov, 36, a former relationship manager at a Sheepshead Bay bank branch, admitted conspiring to move fraud proceeds tied to a sprawling international scheme uncovered during Operation Gold Rush, according to officials.
Authorities said Abramov used his position to open accounts for individuals posing as owners of sham medical equipment companies, often using fake corporate documents. Many of the account holders were not legally in the United States, prosecutors said.
The accounts were used to deposit Medicare and insurance payments generated by fraudulent claims, giving the transactions an appearance of legitimacy. Once funds cleared, members of the organization transferred the money to offshore accounts and cryptocurrency platforms.
Abramov, a dual U.S.–Azerbaijan citizen, was part of a criminal network that allegedly submitted more than $10 billion in false Medicare claims by stealing the identities of more than 1 million Americans, including elderly and disabled victims in all 50 states, according to court records.
Prosecutors said the group exploited weaknesses in bank controls to move money through the U.S. financial system.
Abramov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 20.