KC Reporter

A Russian national, Anton Vikharev, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole for his involvement in a wire fraud conspiracy that resulted in over $11 million in fraudulent refunds. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark, who also ordered Vikharev to pay $2,020,569 in restitution and forfeit $537,000 to the government.

Vikharev, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July 2023, confessed to using stolen identities to file thousands of false federal income tax returns from 2015 to 2018. These returns claimed fraudulent refunds totaling $11,178,361, of which the Internal Revenue Service paid at least $2,020,569.

As part of the scheme, Vikharev and his co-conspirators deposited the fraudulent refunds into bank accounts under their control. Vikharev's role involved withdrawing cash from ATMs, laundering the money through gold purchases and cash deposits, and sending the funds to Russia via wire transfers. Some of the proceeds were used to buy gold bullion, and over $1.4 million was wired to accounts in Russia, with Vikharev personally receiving $156,120.

In an attempt to evade authorities, Vikharev left the United States in 2017, traveling through Mexico and Cuba before returning to Russia. He was later arrested in Toronto in 2021 and extradited to the United States after two years of legal proceedings. Court documents revealed that Vikharev had overstayed his student visa by five years after originally entering the U.S. in 2012.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen D. Mahoney prosecuted the case, which was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigations. Two co-defendants remain in Russia, which lacks an extradition treaty with the United States. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Vikharev will be subject to a judicial order of removal from the United States after serving his sentence.