Two Salamanca Men Indicted On Multiple Fraud Charges

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, N.Y.- Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a 54-count superseding indictment charging Sergiy Bezrukov, 33, and Mark Farnham, 24, both of Salamanca, NY, with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trini Ross and Stephanie Lamarque, who are handling the case, stated that according to the superseding and a previously filed indictment, the defendants opened two offices in the Western New York area to operate fraudulent debt restructuring businesses. 

Bezrukov and Farnham sent solicitation letters under various false and fictitious names, offering to assist small businesses with restructuring high interest loans. After the small businesses agreed to work with the defendants and their company, Bezrukov and Farnham would withdrawal sums of money from the small businesses accounts and use those funds for purposes not associated with assisting the small businesses.  When the small business owners attempted to contact the defendants or others at the fraudulent company, they would get no response.

The defendants used the fraudulent debt restructuring business to defraud approximately 200 victims out of $1,200,000.00.

Defendant Farnham will be arraigned on August 4, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder. Defendant Bezrukov will be arraigned at a later date.
The superseding indictment is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Shelly Binkowski of the Boston Division; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James C. Spero; and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of James D. Robnett, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.