Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Diego Rodriguez, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and William J. Bratton, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced that BORIS KOTLYARSKY and BORIS NAYFELD were taken into custody yesterday for seeking payment from a victim who they claimed NAYFELD had been hired to murder. KOTLYARSKY and NAYFELD were presented this afternoon in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As alleged, Boris Kotlyarsky and Boris Nayfeld conspired to extort $125,000 from a victim, claiming that Nayfeld had been hired to murder the victim. Thanks to the FBI and the NYPD, the victim is unharmed and the defendants are under arrest.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez said: “This is yet another example of the cooperation by the FBI and NYPD through the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force. We remain committed to keeping dangerous felons off our streets so the people of our communities can live in peace.”
NYPD Commissioner William J. Bratton said: “As alleged, this thuggish story seems like a yarn made only in Hollywood. But today, in New York, these two defendants find themselves charged in brazen extortion plot.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint[1] filed today in Manhattan federal court:
BORIS KOTLYARSKY informed the Victim that a Russian businessman (the “Businessman”) had approached BORIS NAYFELD with a contract to kill the Victim in exchange for a $100,000 payment. KOTLYARKSKY offered to broker a meeting between the Victim and NAYFELD. The Victim understood KOTLYARSKY to be offering the Victim an opportunity to intercede with NAYFELD before NAYFELD killed the Victim.
KOTLYARSKY then arranged a series of meetings between the Victim and BORIS NAYFELD. During these meetings, NAYFELD told the Victim, among other things, that the Businessman had transferred $50,000 to NAYFELD as partial payment on a contract for the Victim’s murder, and that it was good that KOTLYARSKY had intervened on the Victim’s behalf. NAYFELD told the Victim to pay him $125,000. Shortly after the Victim delivered NAYFELD a first payment by check, law enforcement agents arrested NAYFELD and, shortly thereafter, KOTLYARSKY.
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Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding work of the FBI and the NYPD for their investigative efforts and ongoing support and assistance with the case.
The prosecution of this case is being overseen by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Thomas is in charge of the case.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.