A South Florida pawn store proprietor finds himself behind bars on federal prices following accusations of involvement in a sprawling cash laundering operation, doubtlessly entailing tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
Andrey Perov, 38, was arrested on Wednesday.
This adopted an in depth investigation by federal authorities into Perov’s enterprises, together with Bee Pawn LLC in Miami and Onerous Rock Giffies, a pawn store positioned in Hollywood.
Operations unveil long-standing scheme
The unraveling of Perov’s alleged scheme started with a confidential informant, who, having pleaded responsible to drug trafficking prices in Broward, started collaborating with authorities in 2019.
This informant, essential to the investigation, recognized a co-conspirator of Perov’s with a historical past of laundering drug proceeds.
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Subsequently, the informant approached this co-conspirator, claiming possession of $110,000 in drug earnings and expressing a have to safeguard monetary assist for his partner throughout a forthcoming jail sentence.
Whereas the co-conspirator initially refused to partake in cash laundering, he launched the informant to Perov, citing Perov’s purported capability to facilitate such transactions via his pawn outlets.
Conversations and transactions
Engagement with Perov ensued, with discussions revealing his pawn outlets’ readiness to trade money for present playing cards—an trade integral to the alleged cash laundering operation.
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Regardless of the informant’s disclosure of the funds’ illicit origin, Perov allegedly demonstrated a willingness to proceed, stating, “Capsules? Okay. No, I don’t choose.”
Subsequent transactions transpired, with the informant offering substantial sums of money to Perov’s assistant on a number of events all through 2021, ostensibly for laundering via the pawn outlets.
Moreover, a second informant, launched later, facilitated exchanges of present playing cards with Perov’s assistant, purportedly acquired via fraudulent means.
Hundreds of thousands in transactions
By December 2021, exchanges involving present playing cards and money had escalated, with transactions amounting to tons of of hundreds of {dollars}. Nonetheless, investigations revealed Perov lacked the requisite license to redeem present playing cards, additional underscoring the operation’s clandestine nature.
A subsequent search warrant granted authorities entry to a web-based ledger meticulously maintained by Perov, shedding gentle on the staggering scope of transactions.
From 2017 to the current, Perov’s pawn outlets reportedly redeemed roughly $53 million in cash orders and present playing cards, with a notable portion traced again to reputed manufacturers reminiscent of Visa, American Specific, and main retail chains like Walmart and Goal.
Faux identities and high-volume prospects
The investigation additionally uncovered makes an attempt to hide the identities of key gamers, as outstanding prospects had been listed underneath false names within the ledger.
Names reminiscent of “Tom Hanks,” “Michael Jackson,” and “Fat Fatz” had been allegedly employed to obfuscate the true identities of people engaged in substantial transactions.
Notably, some people redeemed tons of of hundreds of {dollars} value of present playing cards, with a number of surpassing six-figure sums.
Following his arrest, Perov was remanded to Broward County jail, the place he stays in custody underneath a U.S. Marshals maintain, awaiting additional authorized proceedings.
