Investigations

On December 19, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio sentenced Serghei Verlan to 72 months of incarceration, 36 months of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. In August 2022, Verlan pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy related to a moving company enterprise. The investigation revealed that, from April 2013 until July 2018, Verlan, along with other members of the enterprise, controlled several moving companies which defrauded, extorted, and stole customers' household goods. After loading customers' goods onto a moving truck, the moving enterprise would increase the price of the move and hold the goods hostage until customers paid the inflated prices. The enterprise also charged customers for moving more cubic footage of household goods than what were actually loaded and some customers’ goods were never delivered.

 

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the FBI.