47. Russian Bank Scam
Year: 2020 (Still Ongoing)
Approx. Amount: $70 million*
Company / Person Involved: Dmitry and Alexei Ananyev
Dmitry Ananiev and his brother, Alexei, were at the height of their success in 2017 before everything came crashing down. Ananiev’s personal fortune was estimated at $1.4 billion, and the banker served for seven years as a senator in the Russian government.
Russian Bank Scam @Michel Aguinet / Facebook.com
In 2020, Russian police seized Promsvyazbank, Ananiev’s financial institution, alleging that there were “holes in…the balance sheet.” Russian prosecutors accused Ananiev of money laundering and fraud. Subsequently, a court in London froze the banker’s assets, as Russian investors angrily accused him of ripping them off and lying about the financial health of the bank. The case, for now, is still ongoing.