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Ruthless thief in law: how the father of the Russian mafia kept all Brighton Beach at bay

'02.04.2021'

ForumDaily New York

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It became the nightmare of the so-called Russian district of New York - Brighton Beach, and the patronage of the famous Sicilian criminal organization Cosa Nostra allowed the Agron gang to arrange a real chaos overseas. However, the Italian mafiosi did not accept Yevsey into the “family”, and when their interests crossed, they sent the “Russian” a dead fish. Lenta.ru report talks about thieves in law - the generals of the underworld.

Photo: Shutterstock

Dandy from Leningrad

The future storm of businessmen from Brighton Beach and thief in law Yevsey Agron was born on January 25, 1932 in Leningrad. Agrons did not leave the city even during the Second World War. Yevsey lived in the city on the Neva until leaving for the States, for which he received the nickname Yevsey of Leningradsky.

History is silent about what Agron Jr. had to endure during the blockade, when his relatives, friends and acquaintances died of hunger and cold before his eyes. He survived and set himself a goal: at any cost to live a normal, secure life, in which there will be no place for need and hunger. Yevsey eventually achieved his dream, although not in the most righteous ways.

When at the end of 1970 the New York merchants started talking about the “ruthless Russian” knocking tribute from them, the city already had a story that before emigration to the USA Agron had served ten years in the Soviet camps for a brutal murder. Nobody knew the details, but such a legend was on Agron's hand - she added brutality to his image in the eyes of potential victims. However, this story had nothing to do with reality.

Agron got into the dock three times, but never took part in mokrukh (as murders are called in gangster jargon). Yevsey made his first trip for pickpocketing, almost the first in his life: the art of a pinch (pickpocket), for which most thieves in law were famous, the Leningrader never mastered. Therefore, once free, Agron engaged in financial fraud. True, again unsuccessful: for illegal transactions, he again went to jail.

Freed after the third term already in the rank of crowned lawyer, Agron tempered his agility and daring. He began to work out financial frauds more accurately and soon became the manager of the thieves' common fund: he collected money from the lawyers and dealt with their turnover up to sending them to authoritative brothers serving sentences. By this time, Agron became known not only in the criminal environment of Leningrad, but also far beyond its borders.

By the way, Yevsey's appearance and habits did not in any way betray his belonging to the underworld. Agron sported in an impeccably ironed suit and tie, often appeared at the local philharmonic society with his wife Valentina (contrary to one of the main thieves' laws, he got married, but cleverly justified himself for this act at a gathering and avoided being buried). The thieves who knew Yevsey repeatedly noted the steel character of the lawyer and his gift of persuasion. But he also had ill-wishers: one of them was considered the thief in law Vyacheslav Ivankov (known as Yaponchik). It was because of him that the emigration of Agron almost broke.

In millions of debt

By the mid-1970s, Yevsey finally understood: he would not see a career growth in his homeland. Yes, and the Soviet realities, the thieves' life and Agron's bad luck did not combine with his dreams of a beautiful life. He did not want to endless deadlines, nor did he want to limit himself to the funds allocated to him from the common fund. Therefore, in search of happiness, he decided to leave for the United States, since the times were right: mass emigration of Soviet citizens began, mainly Jews, who left the country for political reasons.

By the way, according to one of the versions, the list of those wishing to go abroad was carefully studied by the KGB officers. And all the criminal elements were given the green light: why detain such a contingent at home? Agron was among the lucky ones. However, on his way there were sudden obstacles.

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When Agron had all the documents necessary for departure in his hands, he had a serious card debt - as many as two million rubles (in the cards Yevsey was unlucky just as he did in criminal activity). It was physically impossible to find as much cash in the shortest possible time, and at the regular meeting the lawyer requested a delay in paying the debt. Given the impeccable reputation of Agron, the thieves did not object to such a scenario. Everything except Yaponchik: he went to the principle and said that Agron’s request cannot be satisfied, because this precedent will shake the fundamental rule - the card debt is holy and is payable on demand.

Ivankov suggested that the "colleague" either pay off before leaving abroad, or undergo the shameful in Yevsey's case, the procedure of burying - a clap on the ears. Fortunately for Agron, the young Yaponchik was besieged by older and more authoritative lawyers, who delivered the final verdict: there will be a trip, but one should not forget about the duty to Yevsey. He did not disappoint and paid off at the first opportunity, but Ivankov never forgave Ivankov for his unfriendly attack - the cool relations between the thieves remained until the very death of Agron.

From the Union with love

Details of the emigration of the future head of the Russian mafia in the United States vary. According to some reports, before arriving in America in 1971, Agron managed to visit Hamburg, where for some time he covered a network of brothels and underground casinos. Other sources claim that first Yevsey went to Italy, where he earned money to pay off the card debt, and only then on October 8, 1975 he flew to New York. It is no coincidence that this place was chosen by Soviet emigrants of all stripes: in the first wave of resettlement from the Union, entry to New York, unlike other states, did not involve charging a one-time entry fee for an entry visa in the amount of $ 100 per person.

There were no records of Agron's convictions in his documents, and he introduced himself to the customs officers as a modest jeweler. This was quite enough to set foot on American soil without hindrance. Once in New York, Agron first settled with a fellow countryman who managed to move to the States during World War II and, having matured, found himself in the law enforcement system - he became a policeman.

However, Yevsey did not embarrass his friend for long, especially since he came to America clearly not to work from morning to night and relax over a bottle of beer in a provincial bar. Agron understood that he had every chance to infiltrate the US underworld and realize his American dream. He soon settled in southern Brooklyn, a predominantly Soviet area, and quickly amassed a small but ferocious group. Its members imposed a tribute on all the surrounding merchants, frightening them into madness.

For many years, a case from the early 1980s remained in the memory of Brooklyn traders. One of the local residents at that time witnessed the massacre of bandits from the Yevsey Leningradsky group over a certain merchant and agreed to appear in court on the side of the prosecution.

Such courage cost her life not only to herself, but also to her son - they were killed in their own house, but first they gouged out the eyes of the unfortunate. It was rumored that Yevsey was personally present at the showdown with intractable merchants and even put into operation his know-how - an electric stick-drive for cattle. However, Agron's presence of such an attribute was categorically denied by his second wife, singer Maya Rozova.

- Electric stick for slaughter? - Rosova was indignant in one interview. “Where did he keep it?” In the closet? In a refrigerator? Where? He always carried a 32 caliber pistol, and 22 was at home! Everything!

King of Russian Racket

Agron's bandits did not give preferences to anyone and did not waste their time on trifles. A certain immigrant from the USSR, a Jew by nationality, had the imprudence to boast to his neighbors that he had saved 15 thousand dollars for his daughter's upcoming wedding. Rumors about this quickly reached Yevsey's gang, and the extortionists reported to their unsuspecting compatriot. He began to resist, and then the bandits issued an ultimatum: either he gives them his hard-earned money, or his daughter will go to her forefathers right on her wedding day. Broken by threats, the emigrant gave every penny to the villains.

He told about this story with tears in his eyes a few years after Agron's death to an American policeman of Russian origin. And when asked why he had not announced the extortionists earlier, the old man just dismissed it: to the point! By the way, almost all local residents understood the futility of fighting the mafia of Yevsey Leningradsky. And the Brighton Beach police officers, who were trying to find out the details of the next crime, came across a silent wall of potential witnesses. They say that one of the first phrases learned in Russian by American law enforcement officers was "I don't know anything."

It is noteworthy that Agron received the “go-ahead” for his activities from a representative of the Genovezi family, one of the criminal clans of the Sicilian mafia group Cosa Nostra, ruling the underworld in the United States. Of course, not for nothing - the patrons were deducted a decent percentage from the racketeering. In addition, both groups often acted in conjunction with each other - as, for example, in the machinations at the Dune casino in Las Vegas, where hundreds of thousands of dollars were laundered. The approval from the mafia elite finally freed the hands of Agron's militants, who by the early 1980s numbered about 500 people.

Even lawyers and doctors, who were also obliged to pay bribes, began to come under their pressure. Criminals did not disdain ordinary robberies - they raided trucks that delivered products to retail stores. Once the bandits turned a scam with ordinary shoes - they passed them off as orthopedic ones and sold them at an increased price. Extortions, machinations and robbery against the residents of Brighton Beach brought Yevsey an unprecedented profit for those times - about $ 100 million a year. Note that the drug trade also replenished the treasury of the king of Russian racketeering with tens of thousands of dollars every week.

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Regular counts of what was acquired occurred in El Caribe Country Club on Brighton Beach - a kind of headquarters, famous for the massive gatherings of members of the Agron group. There, the bandits made plans for further enrichment. Surprisingly, for all his abilities, Yevsey lived modestly out of habit. Contrary to popular rumors about luxurious mansions with golden toilets, the lawyer lived with his wife and child in a small three-room apartment on the last tier of a six-story building on Ocean Parkway Boulevard. According to the recollections of Agron's relatives, the place was extremely noisy: there was a bridge nearby, along which cars drove day and night.

Agron was still dressing in inexpensive business suits and in appearance he still looked like a hard worker clerk. And he preferred to rest in the old fashioned way - according to the good Soviet tradition: every weekend he went to a bathhouse in Manhattan. Everyday evenings Yevsey whiled away reading Russian poetry: he loved Lermontov very much, even memorized his poems. He also respected music, especially he loved chanson (his second wife also sang in this genre). There is an episode in Yevsey's biography when he helped Vladimir Vysotsky, during his American tour, to receive the fee for the performance unpaid by the rogue organizers.

Photo: Shutterstock

The Mafia Hunt

One of the few manifestations of the rich man's habits was the fact that Agron had a personal driver, Boris Nayfeld, known in criminal circles under the nickname Biba. The smart boy arrived in the States from Gomel in the mid-1970s with his older brother. The brothers acquired the experience of a criminal life back in their homeland, where they hunted for apartment burglaries. Biba's older brother immediately became famous in Brighton Beach for beating his girlfriend's offender to death and managing to evade criminal responsibility. Biba himself was distinguished by a more meaningful behavior and in a couple of years managed to advance so far up the criminal ladder that Agron noticed him - and soon made him his chauffeur and part-time bodyguard.

In proportion to the growth of Agron's power, the number of his enemies also increased. Some did not confine themselves to blind hatred and tried to physically eliminate the insolent competitor. The first assassination attempt on a Russian mobster took place in 1980, when Agron was strolling along the Coney Island waterfront. He didn't even have time to understand anything when he received several bullets in the stomach. Eyewitnesses of the assassination attempt immediately called an ambulance - and Agron's life was saved. He recovered his health in a hospital bed, surrounded by guards provided by the Genovese family. As usual, the police visited the victim, but Agron refused to cooperate with them at all - he got off with a short phrase: "I'll figure it out myself."

Successful his "trial" can be called a stretch - the next attack by his enemies four years later. In January 1984, Agron was trapped by mercenaries as he was leaving his garage in the basement of a house. This time the liquidators hit Agron in the face and neck. The doctor, to whom the bleeding patient was delivered, could not get one of the bullets - it sat too close to the brain. Part of his face was paralyzed forever, but Yevsey's life was once again saved. This time, the mafioso thought hard and, having considered the options, designated his competitor, the major drug dealer Boris Goldberg, responsible for the attack, with whom Yevsey could not manage to share the spheres of influence.

Goldberg's dislike for Yevsey Leningradsky was also spurred on by the latter's methods in relation to competitors: Agron's accomplices did not stand on ceremony with them and, if they caught them at their point, they simply killed. This eventually led Goldberg to order Agron, promising the killer $ 25. The final showdown between the enemies took place in May 1984. Yevsey was determined and planned to shoot Boris, but he, guessing about the enemy's intentions, insured himself and brought a crowd of Mexican bandits with him to the meeting. Agron had no choice but to go to peace with Goldberg. Competitors agreed on spheres of influence, sealed the contract with a handshake and promised not to hunt each other anymore.

Last mistake

Soon, Agron was not at all up to Goldberg: he learned that rats were in his immediate environment. It turned out that three members of Yevsey's gang - the owners of a wholesale gasoline company Mikhail Markovits, Lev Persits and David Bogatin - had carried out a major fuel fraud behind his back, and in fact they simply robbed the boss. This scheme, which made it possible to steal more than $ 500 million from the United States budget every year, became public thanks to Michael Franchese, a former member of another Italian crime family - the Colombo family. Franchese, nicknamed the Criminal Prince, spoke about the fraudulent scheme in court in the hope of getting a lighter sentence.

The opportunity to crank up the scam came thanks to the new New York gas tax law passed in 1982. From now on it was decided to collect taxes to the treasury not from the counters at gas stations, but from wholesale fuel companies, when the company sells gasoline to a retailer. The idea to create a chain of dummy wholesalers who resold gasoline to each other belonged to Bogatin, who was in Agron’s closest advisors, and was so effective that David was applauded by standing members of all five Cosa Nostra criminal families.

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The tax officials could not figure out which of the firms should pay taxes on the fly when there is a resale from one wholesaler to another. And when they finally got on the trail of the necessary company, it turned out that it was one-day and had not been functioning for a long time. Thus, the scammers, taking advantage of the confusion in the documents, quickly sold fuel to a private trader, without giving a penny to the country's budget. By the most conservative estimates, the scammers received $ 12 million a week.

Upon learning of the betrayal in the immediate environment, Yevsei Leningradsky became seriously angry. However, the head in a temper did not cut. First, Bogatin went to the favorites of the influential Italian mafia. And secondly, Agron himself decided to become a member of this scam. He did not calculate only one thing: in the scheme of well-established frauds, his person was completely superfluous. And it turned out that with his activity the thief in the law only provoked the members of the criminal clans to a new idea - to eliminate Agron himself. And he, not even knowing about the treachery of the Allies, continued to make plans for the successful implementation of the petrol business.

The life of the famous lawyer was interrupted on May 4, 1985. On this Saturday, Agron was traditionally going to take a steam bath. Downstairs, as usual, Biba was waiting for him. However, as soon as Yevsey pressed the elevator button, a stranger in a tracksuit approached him and, holding a pistol to his temple, pulled the trigger. Making another shot in the head to be sure, the killer fled. This time, the doctors were unable to help Yevsey - he died almost instantly.

The authority was buried in one of the city cemeteries in New York. His wife, fearing for herself and her son, left for her parents in the USSR. The place of the king of the Russian racketeering was taken by the adviser of Agron, Marat Balagula, who, due to his natural cunning and quick-wittedness, even surpassed his predecessor in some way - at least in that he managed to live safe and sound to old age.

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