May 9—Court documents unsealed in a Buford man's $150 million money laundering case show the federal government was concerned about money connected to "Russian oligarchs with potential ties to the Russian government."
Feliks Medvedev, 41, was charged in an April 11 federal grand jury indictment with one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and 39 counts of money laundering.
"Medvedev allegedly used the American banking system to illegally transmit more than $150 million," U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a news release. "These types of criminal actions pose a serious danger to the integrity of our financial system."
The U.S. Attorney's Office accused Medvedev of registering eight companies in Georgia that were used as a conduit for more than 1,300 transactions worth more than $150 million.
According to the indictment, seven of the businesses were registered at the same Buford address and one was registered in Dacula.
The indictment stated these companies did not have employees nor expenditures for payroll, rent, warehousing space and more.
According to the unsealed docket, an indictment was originally filed May 17, 2022.
Buchanan filed a motion in May 2022 to designate the docket as "highly sensitive."
The case, Buchanan wrote, revolved around Medvedev's alleged "receipt and transfer of over $150 million of foreign money tied to Russians, including Russian oligarchs with potential ties to the Russian government."
Following Medvedev's arrest, the U.S. Attorney's office filed a motion to unseal the indictment and docket, saying the "highly sensitive" designation was no longer necessary.
When asked if this assessment of Medvedev's connections remains, U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Bob Page declined to comment.
The U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion for detention April 28 citing Medvedev's flight risk.
The motion said the incoming funds in the case came from countries including Russia, Singapore, Austria, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, China, Germany and Hong Kong.
"Funds were sent to multiple countries as well, including the Czech Republic, Israel, Singapore, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey among others," according to the motion. "Over $65 million was used to purchase gold bullion in Singapore. The Georgia bank accounts were accessed via the internet and some of those IP addresses have been traced to Russia."
No attorney information was available for Medvedev through the online court portal.