RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME
IN THE UNITED STATES
A characteristic even more defining of
Russian organized crime in the United States
than its violence is the predominant nature
of its criminal activity. ... Russian
criminals have been implicated in numerous
murders, attempted murders, assaults and
extortion. As evidence of their intimidation
effect, witnesses to crimes often could not
be found, or both witnesses and victims
refused to cooperate in investigations.
Russian
Organized Crime CSIS 1997
INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZED CRIME AND GLOBAL TERRORISM. US
House of Representatives. Committee on the
Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime. December
13, 2000
Testimony of Ralf Mutschke, Assistant Director, Criminal
Intelligence Directorate International
Criminal Police Organization - Interpol
General Secretariat
In recent years, South American drug cartels
have been forming alliances with East
European/Russian Organized Crime Groups in
order to support and diversify their
operations. East European groups have
offered drug cartels access to sophisticated
weapons that were previously not available.
Helicopters, surface-to-air missiles,
rocket-propelled grenades, and even
submarines are on the drug cartels’
"shopping list."
Statement of
Donnie R. Marshall, Administrator, Drug
Enforcement Administration
Another possible tie between drug
trafficking and terrorism involves Russian
Organized Crime... Russian Organized Crime
groups are involved in a wide variety of
crimes, including drug trafficking to and
within the United States.
CONGRESSIONAL
HEARINGS ON THE BANK OF NEW YORK AND RUSSIAN
MONEY LAUNDERING. US House of
Representatives. Committee on Banking and
Financial Services. International Relations.
September 21, 1999
Testimony of R.
James Woolsey, former Director of the
Central Intelligence Agency
... Russian organized crime can use its
resources to corrupt institutions here in
the United States. The recent case involving
the Bank of New York may prove to be one
such example.
Testimony of James
Robinson, Assistant United States Attorney
General
Russian organized crime groups have seized
upon the opportunities offered by Russia's
brand of "Wild West" capitalism,
and they have in some cases forged close
ties with corrupt Russian businessmen. In
addition, organized crime groups in Russia
have been implicated in the corruption of
current and former Russian government
officials, a problem that is certainly not
unique to Russia but that appears to be a
serious problem there. Russian organized
crime groups provide corrupt businessmen and
government officials with protection,
muscle, assassination teams and lines of
communication to other groups of criminals,
government officials and businessmen.
Testimony
of Richard L. Palmer, former CIA Station
Chief
There is one consistent thread throughout
these steps in looting the state. The goal
was to take the money outside of Russia and
keep it there, safe from any threats of
retrieval attempts by subsequent Russian
governments. The Western banking system has
provided the network with which to move
these funds.
Testimony of Louise
Shelley, Professor, The American University
... because Russian organized crime is a
trans-national phenomenon, its intimidation,
or let us say the authoritarianism that is
associated with it, is not confined entirely
within the borders of the former Soviet
Union, but results in intimidation of
citizens abroad and intimidation of foreign
newspapers that try to publish articles that
reveal and expose problems of organized
crime abroad.
CONGRESSIONAL
HEARINGS ON THE THREAT FROM INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZED CRIME AND GLOBAL TERRORISM. US
House of Representatives. Committee on
International Relations. October 1, 1997.
Testimony of
Arnaud de Borchgrave Director, Global
Organized Crime Project Institute for
Strategic and International Studies
Three years ago, President Yeltsin
called his country, the Russian Federation,
with 150 million people and over 20,000
nuclear warheads, "the biggest mafia
state in the world... the superpower of
crime that is devouring the state from top
to bottom." The situation has not
improved since then.
Testimony of
Louis J. Freeh, Director of Federal Bureau
of Investigations
The size of [the ROC] problem is
really immense. We have, for instance, in
the United States approximately 24 organized
crime families, traditional La Cosa Nostra
families, that we have identified, which are
composed of about 2,000 active members. The
Russian Ministry of the Interior has
estimated that with respect to Russian
organized crime groups, they number 5,000 to
8,000 groups; some 100,000 members. Thirty
of those groups are active in other
countries, including the United States.
