FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2008 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRM (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888 I want to congratulate the General Procuracy of the Russian Federation on the successful conviction of former Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yevgeniy Adamov and his co-defendants, announced by a Moscow court today. Adamov was the Russian Minister of Atomic Energy from 1998 to 2001.
Adamov and co-defendants Revmir Frayshtut and Dmitriy Pismenniy were convicted of charges relating to a scheme to defraud the Russian government of over $100 million owed in connection with the sale of Russian uranium on the world market. They face up to 10 years in prison.
Assistance with the Russian prosecution was provided by the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs and Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, as well as the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the District of Delaware, and the District of Maryland under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Russia.
Federal charges against Adamov are also pending in the United States. In 2005, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania charged Adamov with money laundering, conspiracy to transfer stolen money and securities, and tax evasion in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $9 million of U.S. government assistance funds intended to be applied to nuclear reactor safety upgrades in Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan of the Western District of Pennsylvania announced today that her office will continue to monitor the Russian court process and make a decision with respect to pursuing the U.S. charges after that process becomes final. 08-126
Source: US Department of Justice
