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Press Release

Conspirator Admits to Kidnapping and Brandishing a Gun in Connection with the Robbery of a Pikesville Jewelry Store

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland – Igor Yasinov, age 26, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty on November 6, 2015,  to a robbery conspiracy, kidnapping, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, in connection with the robbery of a jewelry store, including a carjacking and kidnapping.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Chief James W. Johnson of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger.     

According to his plea agreement, Yasinov was part of a conspiracy to rob a Pikesville jewelry store.  Specifically, in the fall of 2012, a co-conspirator devised a plan to commit an armed robbery of a jewelry store, known to be owned and operated by members of the Russian community of Northwest Baltimore.

A co-conspirator recruited Yasinov, Peter Magnis, Grigoriy Zilberman and others to participate in the robbery.  In preparation for the robbery, on December 25, 2012, Yasinov and others committed a burglary of a residence in Baltimore, during which they stole a shotgun and semiautomatic handgun.  The handgun was used in the robbery of the jewelry store on January 16, 2013. Prior to the robbery, the conspirators gathered intelligence, including conducting surveillance and attaching a GPS device to the car of an employee of the jewelry store in order to learn the employee’s travel routine and habits.  Zilberman also exploited his friendship with the employee to obtain information about the operation of the jewelry store and the habits of the employee. Yasinov participated in the obtaining of two rental vehicles for use during the crime.

According to Yasinov’s plea agreement, on January 15, 2013, Zilberman enticed the employee to visit his home, in order to alert the other co-conspirators of the employee’s whereabouts.  Early in the morning on January 16, 2013, as the employee was driving from Zilberman’s home, Yasinov, Magnis and two other co-conspirators driving in one of the rental cars obtained by Yasinov, used a law enforcement-type light bar and a loudspeaker to impersonate a police officer and pull over the employee. Brandishing firearms, Yasinov, Magnis and the other co-conspirators removed the employee from his car, bound and blindfolded the employee, put him into the trunk of his own car, and drove him to a predetermined location. According to the plea agreement, once at the location, Yasinov and the co-conspirators continued to brandish firearms and threatened to kill the employee’s family if he did not comply with their demands or if he reported the incident to police. The employee complied and at approximately 3:52 a.m., two co-conspirators drove the employee’s vehicle from the remote location to the jewelry store, while Yasinov and Magnis stayed with the employee.  While they were with the employee, Yasinov and Magnis brandished a sawed-off shotgun.  Additional co-conspirators were stationed near the jewelry store to act as “look-outs.”  Two co-conspirators entered the jewelry store and stole jewelry, stones, and watches, valued at about $500,000, then drove back to the remote location.  The employee was then placed back into the trunk of his car and driven to another location, where he was left.  The employee was able to kick his way out of the trunk through the back seat of his car.

On January 18, 2013, one of the conspirators sold a portion of the stolen jewelry for approximately $29,000 to an FBI informant.  On January 19, 2013, the conspirator traveled to Brooklyn, New York to sell some of the jewelry and stones taken during the robbery, receiving over $100,000.  On January 21, 2013, the conspirator returned to Maryland and divided the cash proceeds among the members of the conspiracy and others. Yasinov received more than $5,000 for his role in the crimes.

Yasinov faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the robbery conspiracy; a maximum of life in prison for kidnapping; and a minimum mandatory sentence of seven years, and a maximum of life in prison for branishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2016 at 9:30 a.m.

Grigoriy (Greg) Zilberman, age 24, of Owings Mills, Maryland, and Peter Aleksandrov Magnis, age 27, of Hydes, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the robbery conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and December 22, 2015, respectively.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI, Baltimore County Police Department, and Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Aaron S. J. Zelinsky, who are prosecuting the case.

Updated November 10, 2015

Topic
Violent Crime