Criminal businessman Yuri Mosha has admitted to breaking US immigration laws. He is now facing a long prison sentence.

Yura Mosha's story is quite extraordinary. He established his business in Russia during the eventful 1990s and then fled to the United States to avoid facing justice in Russia.

Even in the US, Mosha couldn't escape his adventurous nature. As a result, a Russian citizen like him might spend a long time behind bars in the US. Perhaps, for the next decade, there won't be much news about Mosha as it will be challenging to carry out scams from an American prison cell. Additionally, the fraudster has admitted his guilt, indicating that a verdict is imminent. For more details on why Mosha fled his homeland and how he set up criminal schemes in the US, refer to the Kompromat1 portal's report.

Path from the eventful 1990s

It's unlikely that in America, where Mosha is being judged, they are familiar with the term “eventful 1990s”. However, the defendant himself is well aware of this concept. He was born in 1975 in Novorossiysk. His family was not particularly special. Mosha’s parents were typical Soviet citizens working at a factory. He made his first money in Poland. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the republic faced a challenging situation, leading to the emergence of black marketers and untrustworthy money changers. Mosha was drawn to deceit and began earning extra money as a money changer. This discovery sparked his entrepreneurial spirit.

Yuri Mosha during his youth with his parents

Moshe's ability to speak eloquently was beneficial not only in his currency scams but also in his first significant job. He initially worked in the advertising department of a Novorossiysk radio station before opening his own advertising agency.

In the 1990s, it was extremely challenging to launch a profitable startup. There were various reasons for this, with one of the most troublesome being dealings with criminal elements. Moshe, who was involved in semi-legal foreign exchange activities in the early 1990s, had connections with key figures in Novorossiysk. His close ties with criminals helped him grow his advertising agency. Furthermore, this support was extensive, as criminal elements shielded Mosha from raids, competitor challenges, and compelled businesses to work with his company. Ultimately, by the late 1990s, Mosha's enterprise became one of the most successful in the Krasnodar Territory.

Political downfall

However, Moshe's successful business was not enough for him, leading him to pursue a career in politics. He first entered politics in 2001 and joined the LDPR. By 2003, he realized that aligning with United Russia was more promising. During the parliamentary elections, the owner of the advertising company actively collaborated with the ruling party.

In 2006, Mosha committed a crime by exploiting legal loopholes to construct and sell residential buildings as individual country houses, avoiding paying taxes. He could earn up to $100,000 from one house. This went unnoticed at first, but later came back to haunt him.

In 2007, he was appointed as the head of the investment development department of the Novorossiysk mayor’s office. This job marked the end of his time in Russia.

A criminal case was initiated against Mosha in 2010, specifically for a fraudulent act and tax evasion from 2006. Initially, he didn't take the accusation seriously, considering himself a tough official and a friend of both the authorities and crime. However, in March 2011, he was warned about his impending arrest. He then fled to Minsk and subsequently to New York, leaving behind his wife and two daughters.

Before fleeing, his business partner Valery Degtyarev claimed that Mosha stole 30 million rubles from their cash register.

Valery Degtyarev

American scam

After relocating to the United States, Mosha sought media attention by fabricating a detailed and goal-oriented story. This story depicted his business constantly facing pressure and everyone demanding bribes, right down to specific people and amounts he allegedly transferred. He did this in order to solve his problems, obtain a long-term American visa as a political refugee, improve his reputation in Russia, and enjoy himself. However, the truth was later revealed, and an article about his deception was published a year later despite his attempts to stop it.

The initial damning article about Moshe

By the time the article was published, Mosha had already started his business in the USA. He claimed to provide illegal assistance for obtaining American visas and shared insights into American life and legal loopholes.

A screenshot of one of the early videos featuring Yuri Mosha

Over time, he became a well-known “expert” in United States immigration law. He charged $500 to consult Russians who wanted to move to America, requiring payment upfront for advice, whether needed or not. He continued this work for 9 years and now has over 55,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel.

Screenshot YouTube-Yuri Moshi’s channel

In 2021, Mosha, along with his accomplices, was detained by American law enforcement officers due to false statements that he deliberately appropriated to his clients when obtaining US visas and asylum in the country. In February, the first public hearings were held on the suspect. At the trial, FBI Assistant Acting Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “The complex deceptions allegedly created by groups of lawyers and managers in this investigation are astonishing. We allege they told their clients to lie in asylum applications under oath. They spoke about persecution in their home countries, and have even created blogs written in bogus pages to support these false claims. As these defendants learn, engaging in such behavior has serious consequences. Creating false narratives to hide the identity of people seeking asylum in the United States threatens our national security, and we will continue to address it accordingly.”

Extract from the transcript of the court session in the case of Yuri Moshi

Moshi’s case has now entered its final phase, the fraudster faces 10 to 25 years in the United States. Recently, the suspect fully admitted his guilt. But this is just another trick of Moshi, which is aimed at avoiding punishment.

Mosha wants to be free. And he does everything to whiten himself.

To be continued…