FORMER BROOKLYN BANK MANAGER SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR LAUNDERING PROCEEDS OF MEDICARE FRAUD FOR TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION

The following information was released by the U.S. Department of Justice:

A Brooklyn man was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison for conspiring to launder more than $8 million in health care fraud proceeds through a U.S. bank on behalf of a transnational criminal organization (TCO).

"The Fraud Division is committed to holding accountable anyone who abuses the U.S. financial system to facilitate fraud," said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division. "This sentence makes one thing clear: anyone who helps fraudsters conceal the proceeds of their crimes can expect to face serious consequences. American taxpayers will be protected from those who try to launder criminal proceeds through our banking system."

According to court documents, Renat Abramov, 37, of Brooklyn, New York, a former relationship manager at a U.S. bank branch in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, used his position to aid a foreign-based TCO that spearheaded the largest health care fraud case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice, as uncovered byOperation Gold Rush.

The TCO, based in Russia and elsewhere, orchestrated a multi-billion-dollar health care fraud and money laundering scheme to steal from Medicare and private health insurance companies by submitting fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment through dozens of medical equipment companies. These medical equipment companies were owned on paper by nominee owners, many of whom were not lawfully present in the United States,in a manner that disguised the true beneficial ownership and control of the companies by the foreign-based TCO.

Abramov acted as a concierge banker for participants in the health care fraud and money laundering scheme. Among other things, Abramov opened bank accounts for the nominee owners of several medical equipment companies, which were then used to deposit more than $8 million in health care fraud proceeds. Once deposited, the nominee owners and their handlers transferred the money into offshore accounts. Abramov also assisted nominee owners with wire transactions and provided information about the status of accounts.

In February 2026, Abramov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case. Homeland Security Investigations New York assisted in the defendant's arrest.

Assistant Chiefs Shankar Ramamurthy and Kevin Lowell, Acting Assistant Chief Sara E. Porter, and Trial Attorney Leonid Sandlar of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice's Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found atwww.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.