Couple working as chauffeurs accused of stealing $34M from Oregon publishing giant in exaggerated and bogus charges
An Oregon couple who worked for an Oregon publishing giant have been charged with stealing $34 million in exorbitant and bogus charges, including lavish properties and a private jet, according to court documents.
An Oregon couple who worked for an Oregon publishing giant have been charged with stealing $34 million in exorbitant and bogus charges, including lavish properties and a private jet, according to court documents.
Sergey V. Lebedenko, 53, and his wife Galina A. Lebedenko, 48, were charged with wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly defrauding Win McCormack, a 79-year-old political activist and founder of Tin House Books, from 2016 to 2023.
For years, Sergey Lebedenko worked as a driver for McCormack, and their business relationship soon changed with time and he and his wife housesat for McCormack and ran his errands, a criminal complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court of Oregon said.
The Lebedenkos charged their services to McCormack's American Express card in the name of their business, Astra Car Service. However, McCormack did not regularly check his card charges, and for years the couple raked in piles of money — including $9 million in 2019 alone — right under McCormack's nose, the complaint said.
The charges were flagged to the FBI in December by McCormack's legal representatives, per the complaint.
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