Biography:
Gregory Lepsveridze was born July 16, 1962 in Sochi. Father, Viktor Antonovich, worked at the Sochi Meat Processing Plant, mother Natella Semyonovna - at the bakery. Has a native sister - Eteri Alavidze.
He studied at the Sochi high school number 7. By his own admission, he did not show much success in their studies: teacher even called him "A cursed loser." Since childhood, seriously engaged in football and music, he played in the school band.
At age 14, he entered the School of Music, graduating it in the class of percussion instruments. After military service in Khabarovsk, worked on the dance floor, in the Sochi Park "Riviera", he sang in Sochi restaurants, played in rock bands. At the end of 80s was a soloist of the group "Index-398".
Wikipedia
With billionaires, regulars of the Forbes list, Iskander Makhmudov and Andrey Bokarev a former restaurant singer from Sochi Gregory Lepsveridze befriended in the 1990s, the partners helped the artist to "unwind", spending $ 8 million.
Forbes
A family
Gregory Leps married his third marriage, his wife Anna - the ballet dancer from Lima Vajkule. Grigory has three daughters: the eldest - Inga (born in 1984) from his first marriage lives in the UK, from his marriage with Anna - Eva (born in 2002) and Nicole (born in 2007).
RIA Novosti, 10.11.2008
Business
A Restaurant Holding «Ginza Project» opened a karaoke bar «Leps Bar» in Moscow, where Gregory has a stake and often appears himself. November 16, 2013 the opening of a karaoke restaurant «Gleps» in Kiev occurred. A glasses line «Leps Optics" is also produced.
According to the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, the size of annual income of Leps for 2011 amounted to US $ 15 million.
October 31, 2013 US Treasury Department accused Leps of involvement in the "post-Soviet mafia," and included him into the "black list". According to US authorities, Leps have a connection with the so-called "Brothers' Circle" (Eng. Brothers' Circle), which they describe as "the Eurasian crime syndicate." As a result, an entry into the United States is denied to Leps, American citizens are prohibited to enter into a deal with him and his assets in US jurisdiction are frozen. Musician reacted to this with irony and even decided to name his new album "American Gangster number 1". Russian Foreign Ministry issued a special statement in connection with the introduction of Leps in the "black list", accusing the US government of violating of the fundamental principle of presumption of innocence. President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov promised to follow for the development of the situation around Leps on behalf of the Kremlin. Leps spokesman said that the singer doesn't have any accounts or property in the United States.
According to statements of the official services in the US, he has the nickname of "Grisha" in the criminal environment, officially resides in Thailand, and carries money of mafia ("money Carrier").
In 2012, the Leps starred in a campaign video, "Why do I vote for Putin."
February 23, 2012 acted at the meeting in support of a presidential candidate Vladimir Putin "Let's protect the country!" With the songs "Thank you guys (military)" and "The Best Day", then May 7 - at the presidential inauguration.
In autumn of 2013 he acted at the concert in support of the election of the Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin, performing with the song "London".
In August 2015 the Ukrainian Security Service has included Leps in the list of artists, whose activities pose a threat to national security of Ukraine.
Wikipedia
Dossier:
In 1995, funding for the first album of Gregory took over Vitali Manshin. The album was released under the title "God bless you." Arrangements for it were made by Eugene Kobylyansky. "Natalie," was the song and the hallmark of the artist Grigory Leps. But it so happened that the video for this song he looked from the hospital. Then he had big problems with health. When the actor was discharged from the hospital, the doctors warned that one sip of alcohol could be the last for him. Since then, it took more than 10 years. Leps doesn't consume any alcohol or drugs.
KM, 11.07.2008
In 30 years, Gregory Leps came to conquer Moscow "... I went not for glory, as such. I have just realized that if I stayed to sing in Sochi restaurants, then I will exhale as an artist. Night working on the flight. And a fatigue was removed by an alcohol ..." Moscow has met Leps not hospitable. Yes, actually, as many other people, who come to conquer it. "I was interesting to very few people. Drank a lot. I started using drugs. I looked bad, respectively. My weight was 100 kg. And people, who promised to help once - lost, of course. It was difficult with me like that." As a result, Grigory Leps occasionally worked in various restaurants of Moscow.
russianshanson.info, 2011
Famous singer Gregory Leps achieved a punishment for the "yellow press" for an unflattering review of his work. On Tuesday, the Izmailovo court of the capital partially satisfied the claim of the musician to one of the newspapers.
... It turned out that the newspaper announced a competition entitled "Put a star on the place." For a cash consideration the readers were offered to speak "a merciless criticism of our prohibitive ascended star." Thus, Grigory Leps fell under the distribution. The reader from the Krasnoyarsk Territory, do not mince words, expressed his attitude to the work of the musician. This artist's estimation, probably, much touched. However, in the lawsuit Leps insisted on the fact that he did not consent the using of his image. Singer asked to recover from the defendant a compensation for moral damage of 1 million rubles.
MC, 12.02.2013
Russian pop singer Georgian Grigory Leps (veridze) fell into the list of members of the "post-Soviet mafia", compiled by the American authorities.
Leps is suspected of belonging to the Eurasian crime syndicate "Brothers' Circle", which US President Barack Obama in 2011, classified as "significant transnational organized crime groups."
In addition to Gregory Lepsveridze, whose data are completely consistent with the date of the Russian artist, five others also entered the list - Armenian Artur Badalyan, Vadim Lyalin, Sergei Moskalenko, Jacob Rybalsky and Igor Shlikov (presumably Jews).
All of these persons fell in the "black list" of the US Treasury, which means blocking of their assets in the United States and the prohibition of business contacts with him of persons, living in the states.
In the United States believe that the golden gramophone of the Honored Artist of Russia was bought on the money of the Mafia
forum.dpni.org, 31.10.2013
The US Treasury imposed sanctions in relation of the Russian singer Grigory Leps for alleged connection with international criminal organizations Brothers' Circle.
Producer Barry Alibasov is ready to defend the singer Grigory Leps; however, he believes that the US is unlikely to be able to go to such actions, if they have no reason:
According to the definition of the Ministry of Finance, Brothers' Circle («Brothers' Circle") is a "criminal gang, consisting of the leaders and influential members of a number of criminal groups in the former Soviet Union, whose activities also extended to the countries of Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America
Ekho Moskvy, 10.31.2013
Former producer of Gregory Leps Eugene Kobylyansky commented on the situation that has arisen around the artist and his alleged links with the Russian mafia. In an interview with Ukrainian edition of "News Reporter" Kobylyansky said that Leps acted before the so-called lads, but we are not talking about the closer contacts speech, likely.
www.starhit.ru, 13.11.2013
Russian singer Gregory Leps, which US officials accuse of having links with criminals, said that he knew the alleged leader of the organization "Brothers' Circle" Vladislav Leontyev.
"I know him for about 30 years. I do not even remember how we got acquainted. An ordinary, normal person, as far as I know; there are no complaints to him either in European law, either in the US or in Russian...", - Said Leps at a press conference.
"I talk to my friends not because they have a certain status, I do not even wonder. I know, or suspect, what they do, but I will not climb there -. It's not mine", - the singer added.
BBC, 15.11.2013
Singer and producer Gregory Leps became an investor of the company "Galaktion", which deals with the implementation of the Israeli and American security systems on the Russian market. The young company is performing small orders and is in talks with two major customers.
The company "Galaktion integrated systems" was founded a month and a half before the US scandal, involving Gregory Leps. October 31, US authorities accused the singer of involvement in the so-called "Brothers' Circle", which the United States qualified as a "Eurasian crime syndicate." US authorities included Leps into the blacklist: an entry to the United States denied to him, American citizens forbidden to enter into a deal with him and his assets are frozen in US jurisdiction.
In "Galaktion", according to "Izvestiya", Leps has a stake of 20%, another 40% has Niley Sharipova and another 40% has Mordechai Arens. The latter also owns stakes in "Mirel Rus" Ltd. and rehabilitation center "curare-Medicine-Monarch".
Izvestia, 3/19/2014
Now relations of Inga and Gregory are very warm. Despite the fact that the singer remembered the existence of his daughter, when she was 15 years old, Inga admitted him and decided to take advantage of the opportunity. The main thing that Leps gave his daughter - an education in London.
peopletalk.ru, 23.10.2015