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Press Release

Former Russian Nuclear Energy Official Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy Involving Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Violations

For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs

U.S. Conspirators Paid More Than $2 Million to Influence Russian Nuclear Energy Official and to Secure Business with State-Owned Russian Nuclear Energy Company

A former Russian official residing in Maryland was sentenced today to 48 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with his role in arranging more than $2 million in corrupt payments to influence the awarding of contracts with a Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein of the District of Maryland, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations John R. Hartman of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General (DOE-OIG) and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

Vadim Mikerin, 56, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was also ordered to forfeit $2,126,622.36 by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang of the District of Maryland.

According to court documents, Mikerin was the director of the Pan American Department of JSC Techsnabexport (TENEX), a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation and the sole supplier and exporter of Russian Federation uranium and uranium enrichment services to nuclear power companies worldwide, and the president of TENAM Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary and the official representative of TENEX.  Court documents show that between 2004 and October 2014, conspirators agreed to make corrupt payments to influence Mikerin and to secure improper business advantages for U.S. companies that did business with TENEX, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).  Mikerin admitted that he conspired with Daren Condrey, Boris Rubizhevsky and others to transmit approximately $2,126,622 from Maryland and elsewhere in the United States to offshore shell company bank accounts located in Cyprus, Latvia and Switzerland with the intent to promote the FCPA violations.  Mikerin further admitted that the conspirators used consulting agreements and code words to disguise the corrupt payments. 

Condrey, 50, of Glenwood, Maryland, pleaded guilty on June 17, 2015, to conspiracy to violate the FCPA and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  Rubizhevsky, 64, of Closter, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on June 15, 2015, to conspiracy to commit money laundering.  Condrey and Rubizhevsky await sentencing.

The DOE-OIG and FBI investigated the case.  Trial Attorneys Christopher Cestaro, Ephraim Wernick and Derek Ettinger of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David I. Salem and Michael T. Packard and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan A. Leibold of the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.

Updated December 15, 2015

Press Release Number: 15-1531