FBI: Moscow Crime Boss A Global Threat

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He's well-educated and has an Economics degree from the Ukraine. His financial savvy has earned him the nickname "Brainy Don."

Semion Mogelivich may be the most powerful Russian crime boss the FBI has ever pursued. Now, they've named him one of their Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

His criminal empire is alleged to have a history of ordering assassinations, money laundering, passport fraud, and more than 40 financial crimes stretching across more than a dozen nations.

In his latest money laundering scheme, the FBI says Mogilevich bilked Canadian and American investors out of $150 million without ever even having to come to the United States.
 

Feds: Mob Boss Leaves A Trail Of Evidence

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Mogilevich allegedly controls national gas pipelines spanning Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

As the powerhouse behind YBM Magnex International -- a company that produces magnets, headquartered in Pennsylvania -- Mogilevich had access to the company's financial books and records.

For more than five years, he allegedly gave Securities and Exchange Commission officials bogus numbers, and offered them bribes in an attempt to inflate YBM's stock price.

The scheme collapsed in 1998, when the FBI raided YBM.

They found documents, purchase orders, invoices, and shipping orders that all proved his business was illegitimate.

But what they didn't find were any magnets. Everything about YBM, agents say, was a scam.

The FBI says investors lost millions because of Mogilevich and his associates.

Bureau: Mogilevich Seeks Refuge In Russia

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Russian authorities arrested Mogilevich last year on tax fraud charges, but he was released and freed on bail.

The FBI says Mogilevich controls extensive natural gas pipelines in Eastern Europe, and he uses his wealth to influence governments and their economies.

He's well-educated and has an Economics degree from the Ukraine. His financial savvy has earned him the nickname "Brainy Don."

Mogilevich allegedly has the help of an extensive criminal network to keep him under the radar. He hires top-notch attorneys and risk management firms to assist him in covering up his tracks.

The FBI knows where Mogilevich is hiding out, they say, but they can't get to him. The United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia that will allow him to face charges Stateside.

They hope Mogilevich will travel to another country that has an extradition treaty with U.S. If not, they'll be distributing his wanted poster all over Russia.