Got this from abcnews.go.com
South Beach Bar Girls Defrauded Men At Nightclubs, Say Feds
Crime Ring Busted In Miami Beach, Allegedly Ripped Off Lonely Tourists
April 19, 2011
A sultry hostess, a seedy nightclub and an amorous out-of-towner with a loose grip on his credit card. According to the FBI, "b girls" at six Miami Beach clubs who were part of an international crime ring used that recipe to defraud nearly 100 male tourists out of as much as $43,000 at a time.
FBI
Alec Simchuk is wanted for his alleged involvement in conspiring to defraud unwitting out-of-state businessmen and tourists out of thousands of dollars in the South Beach area of Miami, Florida.
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"This international organized crime group has victimized tourists and defrauded them of tens of thousands of dollars," said John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the Miami field office of the FBI. "The crimes this group committed have impacted our south Florida community and our economy. The dismantlement and disruption of this organized crime group reaffirms the FBI's and our law enforcement partner's commitment to remove organized crime from our neighborhoods."
"South Florida, by virtue of its geography, is a gateway for domestic and international travel and business," U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo Ferrer said. "Unfortunately, we also attract criminal elements, including transnational criminal organizations and groups like the one involved in this South Beach tourist scam. ... Without hesitation, I can tell you that our investigations into transnational criminal organizations operating in South Florida will continue."
Earlier this month, the FBI arrested six men and 10 alleged "b girls" linked to the scheme on federal charges that include wire fraud, immigration fraud and bribery. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, 10 years for each immigration fraud count and 15 years for each bribery count. Federal authorities are still seeking nightclub operator Alex Simchuk, a suspect who remains at large.
Authorities say the "b girls," from Estonia, Latvia and Russia, were chosen for their beauty and brought to the U.S. expressly to prey on tourists. Working in pairs they would look for marks at swanky South Beach hotels like the Delano or the Clevelander and then entice them to one of the nightclubs.
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