Bloomberg just published an extensive report about Gery Shalon and his incredible role as cybercrime mastermind and FBI undercover agent. The report mentions the role of FinTelegream and its founder Werner Boehm in exposing Shalon’s cybercrime network. Thanks to the close cooperation between FinTelegram, its whistleblowers, and law enforcement agencies, key figures of this network, such as Uwe Lenhoff and Gal Barak, were arrested in early 2019.
FinTelegram’s Role and the Murder Order
Georgian-born Israeli Gery Shalon, the so-called Tony Soprano of cybercrime, is considered one of the world’s worst cybercrime masterminds. After extensive financial cybercrime activities against JPMorgan and other US financial institutions, he was arrested in Israel in 2015, extradited to the US and charged. He subsequently worked as an FBI agent as part of a plea deal and not only helped the FBI, but also himself, for example by advancing his European cybercrime empire with his partner Gal Barak (the Wolf of Sofia) and the German Uwe Lenhoff.
The role of FinTelegram and its founder and then-publisher Werner Boehm, as highlighted in the Bloomberg report, was even more significant than previously understood. Through strategic meetings with insiders and executives, FinTelegram obtained critical information and documents. Boehm managed to turn one of the masterminds into a key witness for law enforcement. This intelligence was instrumental in the arrest, indictment, and conviction of the masterminds and their lieutenants in the criminal case.
Read our reports about Gery Shalon here.
The cybercrime billionaire Gery Shalon made a bold attempt to bribe Boehm with a multi-million dollar offer, proposing to integrate him into his cybercrime network through a fund. Unbeknownst to Shalon, Boehm was simultaneously acting as an informant for law enforcement agencies while Shalon was engaging in his cybercrime activities under the guise of an FBI agent.
Shalon also ordered massive DDOS attacks against the FinTelegram websites over a period of months.
In 2018, a Serbian mafia godfather informed the police that Shalon’s partner Uwe Lenhoff had issued a murder order against Boehm. As a result, Boehm had to be placed under police protection until Lenhoff was arrested.
In retaliation, Shalon launched defamation campaigns against FinTelegram and Boehm. He orchestrated the creation of websites dedicated to spreading slander and defamation and conducted PR campaigns to amplify these falsehoods. Despite these efforts, Shalon’s attempts were largely ineffective. His partners, with the exception of the Russian Vladislav Smirnov, were eventually arrested and sentenced to prison.
Download the Bloomberg report here.
The Highly Questionable FBI Approach
The Bloomberg article casts a shadow over the FBI’s questionable role in the Gery Shalon saga. While ostensibly acting as an informant for the FBI, Shalon exploited this relationship to expand his cybercrime activities with apparent impunity.
The then publisher of FinTelegram sent a comprehensive Statement of Facts about Gery Shalon to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) back in 2018, informing the authority about Shalon’s ongoing cybercrime activities. This was apparently ignored and Shalon was able to continue his criminal activities. According to Bloomberg, Shalon is said to have abused his role as an agent with the FBI to put pressure on his opponents and partners. The FBI is said to have stood by and watched.
This protective shield provided by the FBI allowed Shalon to orchestrate complex fraud schemes and build a vast criminal empire. Despite clear evidence of his illicit activities, the FBI’s involvement seemingly impeded swift justice, raising serious concerns about the agency’s complicity or, at the very least, its failure to curb Shalon’s burgeoning criminal operations. This ambiguous relationship calls into question the balance between leveraging informants for intelligence and inadvertently enabling further criminal exploits.
Based on the evidence, an indictment of Gery Shalon and his Russian partner, Vladislav Smirnov, in Europe is inevitable. However, one must always anticipate that the FBI may continue to protect Shalon to safeguard its own interests. This could complicate prosecution and the pursuit of justice in this case.
The Danger of Betrayal
Gery Shalon‘s partners should be particularly cautious, as it has been revealed that Shalon has so far either betrayed or blackmailed almost all of his partners. His father, former Georgian parliamentarian Shota Shalelashvili, who is said to have connections to the Russian mafia, continues to support and protect his son. These familial and criminal ties make Shalon a particularly dangerous player in the international fraud game.
Request for Information
FinTelegram once again calls on all whistleblowers and informants to provide additional information about Gery Shalon and his activities. Your insights are invaluable in further investigating this complex case and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable. Tips can be submitted anonymously and securely to FinTelegram.
Through the brave and persistent efforts of FinTelegram and its supporters, the fight against cybercrime continues and intensifies. Only through such relentless efforts can the global cybercriminal community be pushed back and the victims of such crimes be protected.
If you have information about Gery Shalon and his network, please contact FinTelegram. Your tips could make a decisive difference in the fight against this type of crime. Leave a comment or send an email to [email protected]. Your support is essential to finally dismantle the criminal networks.
