Florida Man And Woman Indicted On Fraud Charge Involving Tax Scheme

St. Louis, MO – ALEXSANDR RABIKOV, a native of Belarus and permanent resident of the United States, living in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area, and his girlfriend, YULIA BELOMYTTSEVA, a Russian citizen also residing in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area, were indicted by a federal grand jury February 11, charging the couple with conspiracy to steal government funds and commit aggravated identity theft.  They made their initial appearance in federal court in St. Louis today. 

Both have been charged with participating in a conspiracy that targeted a local bank for personal identifiers and spanned across the country and overseas.

According to the indictment and other court papers, Rabikov and Belomyttseva accepted tax refunds paid out by the United States upon receipt of false and fraudulent tax returns filed in the names of American taxpayers.  One source of identifiers was the computer system of the Southern Commercial Bank, a financial institution headquartered in St. Louis.  Rabikov and Belomyttseva are alleged to have directed proceeds of the conspiracy to financial accounts they controlled in the names of other individuals.  It is alleged that members of the conspiracy pay account holders to turn over control of accounts so that the proceeds of the conspiracy are not all directed to financial accounts held in the Defendants’ names.  Rabikov is alleged to have recruited Belomyttseva, his girlfriend, into the conspiracy.

If convicted, both defendants face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.

The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.