A New York resident has admitted guilt in a federal court for his involvement in laundering substantial sums of money from a Columbus-based strength training equipment manufacturer. Aleksandr Bogomolny, 53, from Brooklyn, confessed to conspiring and committing money laundering offenses.
The case began when the FBI received a complaint in May 2021 from Rogue Fitness, headquartered in Columbus. The company reported 78 outgoing transfers totaling nearly half a million dollars between March 29 and April 29, 2021. An investigation revealed that the transfers were linked to a banking Trojan that had infected an employee's computer at Rogue Fitness. This malware is known for stealing banking credentials and typically targets corporate victims.
The stolen funds were distributed across 22 different card numbers, including one belonging to Bogomolny's Bank of America account. Further scrutiny of his bank records showed he laundered over $247,000 between December 2019 and July 2021.
During a search of Bogomolny’s residence in Brooklyn, agents discovered documents containing more than 341,000 unique identifiers such as names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. They also found images of driver's licenses and U.S. passports alongside complete credit card lists.
Bogomolny used FanDuel's online gambling platform to further his money laundering activities by creating accounts with stolen identities. Criminal proceeds amounting to nearly $572,000 were deposited into these accounts with withdrawals exceeding $485,000.
Additionally, plea documents revealed that Bogomolny met undercover FBI agents in 2023 and agreed to launder $20,000 for a six percent fee under the guise of drug activity proceeds. Between November 2023 and March 2024, he returned $18,800 through multiple ACH transactions before agreeing to accept another $50,000 from undercover agents in April 2024 when he was arrested.
Money laundering carries severe penalties with potential prison sentences up to 20 years as set by Congress. Sentencing will be determined at a future hearing based on advisory guidelines and statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker from the Southern District of Ohio's United States Attorney's Office along with Elena Iatarola from the FBI’s Cincinnati Division announced Bogomolny’s guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate represents the prosecution in this case.