Newton Man Sentenced For Loan Fraud That Sent Money To Russia

NEWTON, MA – A Newton man was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Boston for illegally using the identity of another individual to apply for two business loans, according to U.S. Attorney Lelling's office.

Igor Mosieev, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton to 30 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Mosieev was also ordered to pay $91,418.

In May 2019, Mosieev pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. In June 2018, Mosieev was arrested and charged with co-defendant Alexander Grinis, 47, of Jamaica Plain.

Grinis was the manager of Eastern Bank in Auburndale where his responsibilities included helping customers with opening and closing accounts and applying for loans and lines of credit.

In February 2015, Grinis helped Mosieev open a checking and savings account at Eastern Bank with the license and Social Security card of another person, without the knowledge or consent of that person, according to authorities.

Later that year, Grinis helped Mosieev add the individual to a business account in the name of TFC Enterprises, LLC. Then, Mosieev forged the person's name on applications for two purported business loans.

On each loan application, Grinis falsely certified that he had complied with all bank procedures and, as a result, the loans were approved. The proceeds of the two loans were subsequently distributed to the business checking account and Mosieev forged the individual’s name on checks and withdrew money from the account to pay for his own personal expenses.

Mosieev and Grinis had business checking account proceeds wired to Russia, Canada, and elsewhere overseas using the individual’s name, according to the DOJ. Both loans defaulted and were never paid back to Eastern Bank, resulting in a loss of more than $90,000.

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Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).