Columbus, Ohio – A New York man, Aleksandr Bogomolny, 53, pleaded guilty in federal court in Columbus last week to multiple charges related to laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from a Columbus-based strength training equipment manufacturer.
Rogue Fitness Targeted by Cybercrime
In May 2021, Rogue Fitness, headquartered in Columbus, filed a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The company discovered 78 unauthorized transfers totaling nearly $500,000 from a PayPal account between March 29 and April 29, 2021.
The FBI investigation revealed that the theft stemmed from a banking Trojan that had infected the computer of a customer service employee. This Trojan, which is known to steal banking credentials and target corporate victims, facilitated the fraudulent transfers. The stolen funds were distributed across 22 different card numbers, including one linked to Bogomolny’s Bank of America account.
Extensive Money Laundering Operation
Further investigation uncovered that Bogomolny had laundered over $247,000 in criminal proceeds through his bank account between December 2019 and July 2021. A search warrant executed at his Brooklyn residence revealed documents containing more than 341,000 unique identifiers, including names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and images of driver’s licenses and passports. Full credit card numbers were also found.
Additionally, Bogomolny used the online gambling platform FanDuel to launder money. By stealing victims’ identities, he and his accomplices created fraudulent FanDuel accounts to deposit stolen funds. Nearly $572,000 was deposited into these accounts, with over $485,000 withdrawn as laundered funds.
Undercover Sting Leads to Arrest
In 2023, Bogomolny unknowingly met with undercover FBI agents posing as individuals seeking to launder illegal drug proceeds. He agreed to launder $20,000 for a six percent fee. Over a series of transactions between November 2023 and March 2024, Bogomolny returned $18,800 of the funds to the agents.
In April 2024, Bogomolny agreed to launder an additional $50,000 and met with the undercover agents to accept the money. He was immediately arrested after taking possession of the funds.
Severe Penalties for Money Laundering
Bogomolny pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money, both federal crimes that carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Sentencing will be determined at a future hearing by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley, taking into account advisory sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate.
This case underscores the FBI’s commitment to combating financial crimes and holding cybercriminals accountable for their actions. Bogomolny’s schemes not only victimized corporations but also involved identity theft and complex laundering operations that have now been brought to justice.
