Igor Klopov, 24, and his four alleged accomplices in the U.S. were arrested after they allegedly tried to steal $7 million from a Texas millionaire and political supporter of President George W. Bush, Sam Wyly Jr., the paper quoted the Manhattan district attorney's office as saying.
The men are also accused of stealing $1.5 million from residents of Texas, Oregon and California by assuming their identities, using personal and financial information obtained over the Internet.
One of the accomplices, Westley Watson, is charged with attempting to buy $7 million worth of gold in November using the account that Klopov had a checkbook for after passing himself off as Wyly. But JP Morgran Chase, where the account had been opened, suspected an alleged scam and informed investigators.
In an attempt to gather evidence against Klopov, who was working from his home in Moscow, a member of the Identity Theft Unit assumed the identity of one of his accomplices and lured him from Russia to New York where he was arrested in May. Klopov's accomplices were detained Thursday.
If found guilty, the charges might land Klopov and his associates in jail for 25 years.
