Ukrainian National Extradited to Face Charges in $1.8 Million Fraud in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, NC – Viacheslav Alexandrovich Basovych, a 49-year-old Ukrainian, has been extradited from Germany to face charges in the United States related to his alleged role in an international carding scheme. The US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Dena J. King, announced that Basovych faces multiple federal charges, including wire fraud conspiracy, access device fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Basovych was arrested in Germany on December 19, 2023, and extradited to the United States on August 8, 2024. His initial court appearance occurred today, following the unsealing of the indictment which details his involvement in fraudulent activities from October 2013 to February 2022.

The indictment describes the carding scheme as an international operation where Basovych, along with others, allegedly stole personal identifiable information (PII) and financial data to make unauthorized transactions.

Over 148,000 fraudulent transactions totaling more than $1.8 million were reportedly conducted, with 5,100 of those transactions occurring in Charlotte using stolen payment card information.

This complex scheme involved small transactions between $7 and $15, likely to avoid detection, and utilized a network of money mules to launder the proceeds. US Attorney King emphasized the global reach of justice in her statement, highlighting the coordinated effort with international law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute those involved in cybercrimes, regardless of their location.

HARTFORD, CT – The US Attorney’s Office announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford has indicted four Bridgeport men for their involvement in a series of armed robberies.

The accused are Elijah Raffington, 21; Rajonne Blake, also known as “Ray Ray,” 25; Shasson Daniels, 20; and Mickyeem Profit, 21.

The indictment, issued under seal on July 11, 2024, and unsealed on August 1, 2024, following Blake’s arrest, details multiple incidents of gunpoint robberies at retail stores and an Amazon delivery truck in late 2022 and early 2023. Notable incidents include the December 15, 2022, robbery at Omega Deli in Bridgeport, and a December 21, 2022, robbery at Milford Convenience & Tobacco in Milford.

On December 23, 2022, the group, including an unnamed individual, targeted an Amazon delivery truck and Smoke Shop in Bridgeport. The robbery spree continued on January 2, 2023, at Cumberland Farms in Stratford. Each defendant faces charges under the Hobbs Act for interference with commerce by robbery, which could lead to up to 20 years in prison for each count.

Additionally, Daniels and Profit are charged with carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during these crimes. Raffington and Blake face charges of aiding and abetting the same offenses, with potential sentences ranging from a mandatory minimum of seven years to life imprisonment.

All four men, who had been in state custody, were arraigned in New Haven federal court, pleaded not guilty, and were ordered detained.

WASHINGTON, DC — Former President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., accused Vice President Kamala Harris of appropriating a key tax proposal from his father’s platform, following a statement from the Trump campaign suggesting that Harris has adopted the “No Tax on Tips” proposal ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

This comes just days after his running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz caught ‘flak’ for claiming he fought during wartime, which he never did.

Walz is being haunted by his claim of carrying weapons of war, while in war. His official Department of Defense records show that he was never deployed to a warzone. The closest he came to combat was a short stint as a National Guardsman in Italy.

In a tweet posted 34 minutes ago, Trump Jr. claimed that Harris and her potential running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, were guilty of “stolen proposals and stolen valor.”

The tweet was in response to an earlier post from the Trump campaign’s official War Room account, which accused Harris of political opportunism and asserted that she would not follow through on the tax proposal.

Vice President Kamala Harris has jumped into the 2024 tax debate with a headline-grabbing proposal: eliminating federal taxes on tips for service workers. The twist? It’s eerily similar to a plan Donald Trump floated just months ago, sparking chatter that Harris might be borrowing a page from her playbook to win over working-class voters.

Critics are divided. Some see it as a smart move to appeal to service industry workers, while others argue it’s a blatant attempt to steal Trump’s thunder. The debate is heating up as both candidates vie for support from the same key voter base.

The Trump campaign has highlighted the “No Tax on Tips” proposal as a significant aspect of Trump’s economic agenda, aimed at easing the tax burden on service industry workers. The Harris campaign has not yet responded to the accusations.

The exchange comes as the 2024 presidential campaign intensifies, with both parties scrutinizing each other’s platforms and proposals.