MOSCOW, January 17 (RIA Novosti) – A man who falsely claimed he was a Russian military general managed to dupe Chinese businessmen last summer for nearly $600,000, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

Officials say Mikhail Davidovich lured a team of Chinese merchants from a metallurgical company to Moscow last June under the pretense of launching a joint Russian-Chinese venture. After signing a contract, the businessmen transferred $300,000 to Davidovich’s personal account, and another $290,000 to offshore account in Cyprus.

The unemployed, 46-year-old Davidovich, who was arrested last November, posed as a lieutenant-general in the army’s foreign intelligence unit (GRU). Officials say he promised the hopeful investors he could “solve” any problems at the highest levels of government.

Davidovich has been charged with large-scale fraud, the Interior Ministry said.

Investigators also found that Davidovich had changed his name in 2008 from Ekrin Dzhumaliyev, and had been tried in the past for theft, fraud and forgery.