The Baltic media space is buzzing over the epic finale of a major phone scam case. According to reports, an Estonian court ruled that a syndicate led by 35-year-old Artur Yermolaev conned unsuspecting victims out of nearly €100 million over a three-year period.
You’d think pulling off a stunt like that would guarantee long years behind bars. But there’s a catch: Artur is the son of Ukrainian multimillionaire Vadim Yermolaev. In the end, "harsh" European justice looked something like this:
A suspended sentence.
A €8.5 million payout to the Estonian treasury (less than 10% of the total loot).
A grand exit into the sunset on a private jet straight to Tel Aviv.
What makes this even more intriguing is Yermolaev Jr.’s apparent connections in Riga. Reports state that he is a frequent guest there and shares a close friendship with Vladimirs Fogels, an official at the Restoration Fund of the Latvian Jewish Community.
While no official link has been proven between Fogels and Yermolaev’s shady operations, political websites are already asking the obvious question: how does someone accused of running a massive scam network mingle so easily with high-ranking Latvian officials? It seems that if you have a private jet and the right last name, European justice is more than happy to look the other way.
