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Interpol Chief: U.S. Silent on Mogilevich

By Nikolaus von Twickel

The St. Petersburg Times

MOSCOW — The United States has not asked for the extradition of suspected organized crime boss Semyon Mogilevich, whom the FBI put on its 10 most wanted list this fall, a top law enforcement official said Tuesday.

“We have not been contacted officially by U.S. authorities,” Timur Lakhonin, head of Russia’s Interpol office, told reporters.

Mogilevich was released from custody on the condition that he not leave Moscow this summer, after being arrested in a tax evasion case in last year.

He is wanted in the United States on fraud and racketeering charges, and the FBI in October put him on its list of 10 most wanted criminals.

Lakhonin said any extradition request would be futile because Mogilevich is a Russian citizen.

The Russian Constitution does not allow the extradition of Russian nationals to foreign countries.

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