Biography:
Born in Novosibirsk in 1946.
In March 1976 he emigrated to Israel; in July 1985, he moved to the U.S. and received citizenship there. In 1997, Lann returned to Russia because of persecution by the U.S. law enforcement agencies.
In Russia, Mr. Lann engaged in gambling and became representative of the American corporation Optical BASIC Inc., which appeared to be the founder of the casino "Kristal", «Golden Palace", «Salut","Kolizey", and "Imperia ". According to the MIA information promulgated in October 2006 (after a sharp deterioration in relations with Georgia because of the arrest of Russian militaranians in the country), all of those gambling establishments were allegedly controlled by the Georgian criminal authorities. Later, they were closed (in accordance with the new law "On state regulation of activities on the organization and conduct of gambling», now all the establishing gambling in Russia is allowed in special zones only ).
Mr. Lann's activities after that are unknown. But he was a remarkable character in the secular circles of Moscow, appearing often at various events and surrounded by numerous bodyguards wearing expensive neckerchief and shoes of crocodile leather. He is a close friend of many officials and musicians.
Source: «Kommersant» № 53 (4353) on 27.03.2010
Dossier:
First Leon Lann appeared in the view field of law enforcement agencies in 1997 when the Central District Court in Los Angeles (California) issued a warrant for his arrest, and he promptly left for Moscow. However, the U.S. Officials declared a suspect only in the local search, and did not pass the information to Interpol.
According to the FBI, when settled in Malibu (California), Lann committed a fraud with health insurance. Together with associates, he established a network of fake medical centers, sending false invoices to the insurance companies to pay more than $ 10 million in total. Lanna was convicted in absentia in the U.S and found guilty of fraud, financial transactions in order to obtain illegal income, as well as of incitement to crime and committing the crime. "
In Moscow, Lann Kaplan joined one of the most ambitious projects of Russian businessmen and representatives of the gangs — opening a huge complex of different casinos in the city. The American friends recommended Lanna to the capital mafiosi.
The law enforcement agencies believed that thief in law Zakhary Kalash (Shakro-young) was running the project from the criminal world; they associated the activities of Leon Lann with him. Business organization was entrusted to Lann and businessman Konstantin Manukyan. He was born in Georgia; in 1989 he was sentenced to 15 years for the murder of an "authoritative" Kurd.
The construction of the gambling complex failed, but they managed to create five major casinos in the capital, which brought fabulous profits, since they almost did not pay any taxes. Part of this money was "laundered" and sent to Spain.
Source: IA Rosbalt from 16.03.2010, Kommersant № 53 (4353) on 27.03.2010
In 2000 journalists became interested in Lann in connection with the interest of a well-known Moscow sculptor Zurab Tsereteli in the gambling industry. In particular, they wrote the story of Moscow casino "Kristal".
In 1994, under President Yeltsin's decree on the target project of "Disneyland" construction land in the floodplain of the Moscow River and the land in the center of the city with buildings was donated. The project was tackled by the Children's Wonderland Park Fund, it became the owner of the premises as well. The fund was led by Zurab Tsereteli and it was to be allocated in one of the transferred buildings in the street Marxist, 38.
The fund transferred the ownership of the building to some closed joint stock company with the same name "Children's Wonderland Park». Then, the building was sold legitimately to an American company, which established the casino "Kristal". When selling the building Tsereteli negotiated for himself the opportunity to take part in the casino profits and got a 10 percent stake of the establishment.
In 2000, the sole shareholder of the casino was a corporation "Optical Basic Inc.." (Los Angeles, USA), while representatives of the corporation in Moscow and, in fact, the owner of the casino "Kristal" was Leon Lann, who had a 70 percent stake.
Then the third owner of the casino "Kristal" was Carlo Azizbekyan, head of the private security firm "Magma-V». he owned 10 percent of the shares in the casino. He was targeted in the investigation of Chechen false aviso and extortion.
As journalists wrote, in August 1999 the corporation "Optical Basic Inc." changed the power. President of the corporation became Victoria Crane's ex-husband Alex Crane (his name is also Arutyunov and Begoshvili). Supposedly, that happened as the shareholders of the corporation became aware of the prosecution in respect of Victoria Crane and Leon Lann. Afterwardst, Lann was simply banned to enter the casino "Kristal". Lann filed a lawsuit against his attackers, who had swept him from the power: Azizbekyan, Moscow sculptor number 1 and others.
In early 2000, in the midst of arbitration courts, Vladimir Dukhno disappeared; he replaced Leon Lann to serve as corporation representative in Moscow. Azizbekyan written applications letters to the Attorney General's Office and the FSB. He believed that Duhnov had been kidnapped by Lann as he had long threatened him and a year ago kidnapped a relative of Duhnov - Vaskov, who had been kept all the night in the basement of the casino «Golden Palace». Azizbekyan suspected Lann not only of the kidnapping, but the murder; he claimed that together with Duhnov the shares of the corporation got lost; they were to appear in the Court of Arbitration against Lann.
As a result, Leon Lann sued the casino to himself, proving he was the boss.
Tsereteli proposed Mr. Lann to compromise an action - to share all revenues in halves, but Leon Lann rejected the proposal. Evil tongues asserted the sculptor offered his friends in law enforcement structures a million dollars for the removal of Lann from the casino.
Source: "Versiya" from 18.07.2000
In March 2003, there was a large-scale meeting in Spain , attended by such «thieves in law» as Zahar Kalash, Aslan Usoyan, Vladimir Tyurin (Tyurik), Vitaly Izgilov (Zver), Tariel Oniani (Taro), Merab Gogia (Merab), Jamal Khachidze (Jamal represented the interests of the Solntsevskaya gang), Vakhtang Kardava, Mamuka Mikeladze, Armen Arutyunov, as well as several businessmen, including Leon Lann.
Then it was decided to establish in Spain one of the largest financial "laundry", through which the majority of criminal and semi-criminal proceeds of the Russian mafia would be passing. The gangsters decided to invest the "laundered" money in purchasing a real estate on the Costa del Sol, as well as in various other projects.
For this purpose, several companies had been created , in particular Sunnivest 2000, Elviria Invest, Megrisa, Megabetta V and N, Inmboliarios Estepona, etc. According to the Spanish version of the investigation, the founders of Sunnivest 2000 - Leon Lann and Konstantin Manukyan were in charge of «laundering" money.
"Laundry" worked so well that soon other criminal groups from Russia, in particular from St. Petersburg began to use the company's services .
In June 2005, local security forces conducted an operation called "Wasp", which resulted in the detention of approximately 200 people, including the "thief in law" Vitaly Izgil. They were charged of money laundering and tax evasion. Later Zakhary Kalash was arrested; the Spanish police reported then that he was one of the most influential underworld crime bosses in the former Soviet Union.
In Moscow, according to Spanish investigators, Lann and Manoukian tried to take all possible efforts to rescue Kalashov from the bars. As a result, the Russian lawyer of Kalashov - Alexander Hofshteyn was put behind the bars. In October 2006, he flew to his client in Madrid and was also arrested. According to representatives of the prosecutor of Spain, there were talks between Kalashov and Hofshteyn recorded about "some very influential people could effect the judge and the prison authorities" - so that Kalashov had been accorded mitigation, and then he even was released and left Russia. Lann and Manoukian were allegedly willing to invest in the operation
Sources: RosBalt from 16.03.2010," ABC, Spain, Translation: "Inopressa.Ru" from 29.10.2008
In autumn 2006 in Moscow, Department of Economic Security (DEP), Ministry of Interior of Russia held operational activities in the casino Golden Palace Weekend, located in the premises of the hotel "Hotel Vinogradovo." After those checks, its operations had been suspended.
This was his third casino, affiliated with the cultural and entertainment center of Kristal and Golden Palace (controlled by Leon Lannom), whose activities were suspended earlier by the Economic Security Department of Russia. Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that, as in the previous casino Golden Ralace Economic Security Department ,there was no evidence of tax registration gaming tables and machines. Employees of Economic Security Department of the Russian Interior Ministry found during the check that the leadership of the casino conducted files of clients with their photographs, videotapes, copies of passports and other documents.
Source: www.newsru.com from 05.10.2006
In the summer of 2008 in Malaga (Spain) an Operation Troika was carried out. "It was attended by over 300 local law enforcement officers, who blocked the villa, inhabited by "authentic" inhabitants of St. Petersburg, like Gennady Petrov and Alexander Malyshev, as well as the "thief in law" Vitaly Izgilov. Then he and a number of Russian and Spanish nationals were arrested for money laundering. In Russia from Spain received a request for extradition of "thieves in law" Vladimir Tyurin and Tariel Oniani, businessmen Leon Lann and Konstantin Manukyan.
Source: RosBalt "from 16.03.2010
In early March 2010 the FSB detained Leon Lann in Moscow at the request of the 4th investigative court under Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Spain, received by the main control international legal cooperation of Prosecutor General Office of the RF. At that time, Spainish prosecutors accused him of organizing illegal financial scheme in the country to launder the proceeds of crime groups by Zakharia Kalashov.
According to the Spainish prosecution, described in the request for extradition, Mr. Lann was directed by the kingpin Zakharias Kalashov to create in this country a financial scheme to launder the proceeds of crime by investing in real estate in the resort of Costa del Sol.
On April 26, 2010 Transfiguration District Court in Moscow decided to extend the arrest of Leonid Lann until 5 September 2010.
Sources: Kommersant № 53 (4353) on 27.03.2010, № 74 (4374) on 27/04/2010