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Russian national indicted for scamming Mexican billionaire out of $450 million

A Russian national, Vladimir Sklarov, has been indicted in the U.S. for allegedly defrauding Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego out of approximately $450 million. Sklarov, using aliases and falsely claiming affiliation with the prominent Astor family, operated a sham company called Astor Asset Group to facilitate a bogus stock-backed loan scheme. The indictment details how Sklarov convinced Salinas to secure a loan with company shares, then liquidated those shares, using some proceeds for the loan and keeping the rest. AI

RANK_REASON This is a significant financial crime involving a large sum of money and a prominent billionaire. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=1 ai=0.0]

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Russian national indicted for scamming Mexican billionaire out of $450 million

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This is a significant financial crime involving a large sum of money and a prominent billionaire. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=1 ai=0.0]
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COVERAGE [1]

  1. Fortune TIER_1 English(EN) · Dave Collins, Nick Lichtenberg, The Associated Press ·

    ‘I feel like an absolute idiot. How could I fall for this?’ Mexican billionaire scammed out of $450 million by Russian claiming to be an Astor

    Vladimir Sklarov, 63, also known as Gregory Mitchell and Mark Simon Bentley, had set up a sham company, Astor Asset Group.