Russian newspaper: Raleigh man at center of murder-for-hire case has ties to man indicted for interfering with 2016 election
A wealthy Raleigh man at the center of an international money laundering and murder-for-hire case has business ties to a Russian man who was indicted for interfering with the 2016 presidential election, according to a Russian watchdog newspaper.
According to Novaya Gazeta, Leonid Teyf provided Russian army catering contracts to company owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is one of 13 Russians indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller following his investigation into election meddling.
Investigators say Teyf and his wife Tatyana Teyf profited off a $150 million kickback scheme involving a contract with the Russian military and used the proceeds to purchase their multimillion-dollar mansion.
Since December 2010, the couple opened at least 70 financial accounts at four different banks, and wire transfers show money coming into the couple’s bank accounts from countries known to launder money, including Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Panama and Seychelles. Investigators said the Teyfs bought hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury cars and more than $2.5 million worth of art.
In February 2018, Leonid Teyf told a confidential source that he believed his wife had been involved in a romantic relationship with the housekeeper's son. Teyf told the informant that he wanted to pay someone to get the son to talk and then have the son overdose on drugs.
Teyf then said he wanted the son deported because, if he was back in Russia, “he would be buried already." The plan was to plant $15,000 worth of narcotics in the son's vehicle so that he would be arrested and deported.
So far, there's been no evidence released that Teyf played any role in the Russian election meddling.
Teyf remains in custody and is awaiting trial.
Teyf has citizenship in Israel and Russia, and he also has traveling visas from Belarus, the U.S. and Serbia
