By Danny Fenster
ticklethewire.com
Russian immigrant Dmitry Yakolev may have been a trained surgeon, but federal authorities say he used his hands to do more than good deeds.
In fact, the feds say he was involved in identity theft, bank fraud and credit card theft involving three people they suspect he murdered over several years.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser of Brooklyn sentenced him to 30 years in prison . He was also ordered to forfeit $432,050 in proceeds.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brookly said Yakolev was convicted in March of identity theft, bank fraud and credit card fraud and charges linked to the disappearance and/or murder of three Brooklyn residents between 2003 and 2007.
The three-week trial in March brought nearly 40 witnesses to the stand.
Forensics experts and others convinced jurors that Yakovlev used the identities of Michael Klein, Viktor Alekseyev and Irina Malezhik “to commit aggravated identity theft, credit card fraud, and bank fraud shortly after each victim disappeared in November 2003, December 2005, and October 2007, respectively, and that Yakovlev murdered Alekseyev and Malezhik in connection with his theft of their identities,” a U.S. Attorney press release said.
Authorities said evidence showed that Yakovlev knew each of the victims and was the last to see each alive. They said he was found with identity cards, jewelry, checkbooks and other items belonging to the victims after their deaths.
Interestingly, authorities said one of the bodies was found dismembered in a way that suggested it was done at the hands of someone with keen anatomical knowledge, such as a surgeon, like Yakovlev.
His wife Julia was sentenced to 36 months in prison for credit card fraud and aggravated identity theft by Judge Glasser back in August.
