How many of us have thought, in our idle moments, of committing a crime? Of course, it should be the perfect crime so that we don’t get caught. And if we made lots of money or got revenge, that would be even better. Here’s a great story of a family that committed the almost perfect crime.
It started in 2010 when Igor Vorotinov bought a $2 million life insurance police on himself, naming his wife, Irina, as the beneficiary. In 2011 he traveled back to his home country, Moldova (a western neighbor to Ukraine), for a vacation. Unfortunately, a dead body was found in the Moldovan city of Cojusna. The body had a passport, hotel cards, and phone numbers. All these pointed to the identity of the man: Igor Vorotinov.
HIs widow, Irina, made the journey to Moldova and, with the assistance of a U.S. Embassy official, she identified the body of her late husband, Igor. She requested the body be cremated as soon as possible, which was done in Moldova. Carrying the urn of ashes, Irina returned to Minnesota. Along with her son, Alkon Vorotinov, she had a funeral at Lakewood Cemetery. Of course, she filed a claim with Mutual of Omaha to receive the $2 million dollars from the life insurance policy.
For the next couple years, she and her son enjoyed the money and seemed to have gotten away with the perfect crime. Between 2011 and 2015 the pair transferred $1.5 million to Swiss and Moldovan bank accounts.
The perfect crime, that is, until a person in Moldova tipped-off FBI agents that Igor was really alive and living in Moldova under a new, fake identity.
The FBI started an investigation, became suspicious, and started to trail the son. He was stopped at the airport in Detroit. The FBI consficated his computer where they found photos of Igor, dated from 2013, that showed him very much alive. The perfect crime started to unravel.
Under questioning by the FBI the son caved and admitted the plot.
Both mother and son were charged in federal court in Minneapolis with mail fraud and another felony for their role in creating the perfect crime. Both of them pled guilty recently and face prison.
Igor, as far as I know, remains free and lives in Moldova.
Now, the tough part begins—can the FBI and insurance company successfully get the money back? It may be tough to collect it if it’s already gone or hidden in Swiss bank accounts.
See full story at: http://www.startribune.com/twin-cities-woman-admits-faking-husband-s-death-collecting-2m/379670101/
