Marat Balagula
Marat Balagula | |
---|---|
Mobster | |
Criminal status | Released in 2004, deceased 2019 |
Spouse | Alexandra Balagula |
Parent(s) | Yakov Balagula (father), Zinaida Balagula (mother) |
Allegiance | American Mafia Lucchese crime family Colombo crime family |
Conviction(s) | 10 years in federal prison |
Criminal charge | Tax evasion (26 U.S.C. § 7201) via bootleg gasoline |
Marat Yakovlevich Balagula (
Biography
Early life
Marat Balagula was born to
As a young adult, Balagula obtained two advanced university degrees - one in
Start in the United States
After years of allegedly running a black market food source with the collusion of corrupt Party officials in Odesa, Balagula decided to move his family to the United States in 1977. At first he worked as a textile cutter in Washington Heights for $3.50 per hour. His wife Alexandra later remembered, "It was hard for us, with no language, no money."[4]
Russian mob
Balagula moved his family to Brighton Beach, where he opened a restaurant, which he later sold in order to buy a chain of fourteen gas stations.[1] In 1980, Balagula purchased the Odesa restaurant, night club, and cabaret on Brighton Beach Avenue. The Odesa became so popular as a neighborhood locality, that film director Paul Mazursky wished to shoot a scene there with Robin Williams for the movie Moscow on the Hudson. Balagula declined the offer, as he was afraid of drawing unwanted attention to the club.[5]
With the assistance of
In the aftermath of Agron's murder on May 4, 1985, Balagula took over as the most powerful Russian gangster in
According to Vladimir Kozlovsky, Balagula's wealth made him a legendary figure in Brighton Beach, but whenever residents of the neighborhood were asked about his line of work, they would always say that Balagula was in the gasoline business.[1]
However, according to a former Prosecutor from Suffolk County, New York, "Everybody in Brighton Beach talked about Balagula in hushed tones. These were people who knew him from the Old Country. They were really, genuinely scared of this guy."[2]
American Mafia ties
After
Here there's enough for everybody to be happy...to leave the table satisfied. What we must avoid is trouble between us and the other families. I propose to make a deal with the others so there's no bad blood...Meanwhile, we will send word out that from now on you and your people are with the Lucchese family. No one will bother you. If anyone does bother you, come to us and Anthony will take care of it.[9]
In an interview with Robert I. Friedman, a Genovese crime family member recalled with a laugh, "The next time I saw Michael [Franzese] and mentioned Marat, his face went white. Christie Tick had put out the word that Marat was under his protection."[10]
In the aftermath, New York's
According to author Philip Carlo, "Because Gaspipe and Russian mobster Marat Balagula hit it off so well, Casso was soon partners with Balagula on a diamond mine located in Sierra Leone. They opened a business office in Freetown."[11]
According to Jeffrey Robinson, there was so much money coming in from the gas tax scam that it was too big for anyone to control and everyone involved was stealing money from each other. Meanwhile, among many other things, Balagula owned a New York mansion decorated in pink marble and a private island off the African coast.[12]
According to one former associate, "The LCN reminded Marat of the apparatchiks in the Soviet Union. He thought as long as he gave them something they would be valuable allies. Then all of a sudden he was at risk of being killed if he couldn't pay to the penny."[8]
At the same time, Balagula's underboss,
Balagula also ran an
Enemies
Balagula's deal with the
As a means of sending a message, Reznikov drove up to Balagula's offices in Midwood, Brooklyn. Sitting in his car, Reznikov opened fire on the office building with an AK-47 assault rifle. One of Balagula's close associates was killed and several secretaries were wounded.[15]
Then, on June 12, 1986, Reznikov entered the Odesa nightclub in Brighton Beach. Reznikov pushed a
The hit was easily okayed
In later interviews with journalist Vladimir Kozlovsky, Balagula admitted that his "associates" killed Reznikov in response to his complaints. Balagula denied having been aware at the time that those "associates" were linked to the American Mafia.[1]
Downfall
In 1986, Balagula was masterminding a $750,000
In February 1987,
While Agent Bibb wished to travel to South Africa to make the arrest himself, the Secret Service refused to pay for an airplane ticket. Instead, Agent Bibb contacted the security officer at the United States Embassy in Pretoria, who alerted the Johannesburg police and supplied them with photographs of both the Balagula and of his driver. However, Balagula and Shevchenko escaped arrest and fled to Sierra Leone. In an interview with journalist Robert Friedman, Agent Bibb expressed a belief that South African law enforcement officers took bribes to let Balagula get away.[22]
After three years as a fugitive, on February 27, 1989, Balagula was recognized from an
In November 1992, Balagula was convicted at a separate trial for gasoline bootlegging and sentenced to an additional ten years in federal prison. While passing sentence, Judge
Although the FBI pressured him to become a cooperating witness, Balagula refused, and continued giving orders to his organization while incarcerated in Federal prison.[25] Balagula served his sentence, and was released from imprisonment in 2004.
Personal life
Balagula met his future wife Alexandra at a wedding party in 1965 and married her the following year. As Alexandra disliked her husband's long absences, Balagula left his position aboard the Ivan Franko and instead began running a black market food source with the collusion of corrupt Apparatchiks, one of whom, according to Balagula, was future Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.[26]
Following his success as a gasoline bootlegger, Balagula moved his wife and children from Brighton Beach to a $1.2 million suburban home in Long Island, from which he commuted to "work" in New York City.[27]
Death
He died from cancer in 2019.[1]
In popular culture
- The 2007 police thriller We Own the Night, which is set in Brighton Beach during the 1980s, is inspired by the efforts by law enforcement to shut down the gigantic heroin smuggling operation masterminded by Marat Balagula and Boris Nayfeld. A character inspired by Balagula is renamed Marat Buzhayev (Moni Moshonov) and a character based on Nayfeld is renamed Vadim Nezhinski (Alex Veadov).
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Владимир Козловский (December 25, 2019). ""Крестный отец" русской мафии в Бруклине – кем был Марат Балагула". BBC (in Russian). Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Friedman 2000, p. 43
- ^ a b Robinson 2000, p. 97
- ^ Friedman 2000, p. 45
- ^ Friedman 2000, pp. 16–18
- ^ Friedman 2000, p. 42
- ^ Robinson 2000, pp. 104–105
- ^ a b Friedman 2000, pp. 53–54
- ^ Carlo 2008, p. 120
- ^ a b Friedman 2000, p. 53
- ^ Carlo 2008, p. 151
- ^ a b Robinson 2000, p. 100
- ^ Robinson 2000, pp. 104–105, 135–137
- ^ Friedman 2000, pp. 56–57
- ^ Carlo 2008, p. 52
- ^ a b Robinson 2000, p. 99
- ^ a b Gaspipe, p. 154.
- ^ Carlo 2008, p. 154
- ^ Friedman 2000, p. 55
- ^ Friedman 2000, pp. 61–62
- ^ Friedman 2000, p. 62
- ^ a b Friedman 2000, pp. 62–63
- ^ Friedman 2000, p. 64
- ^ a b Friedman 2000, p. 65
- ^ Friedman 2000, pp. 65–67
- ^ Friedman 2000, pp. 43–44
- ^ Friedman 2000, pp. 52
References
- ISBN 978-0061429842.
- Friedman, Robert I. (2000). Red Mafiya: How the Russian Mob has Invaded America.
- Robinson, Jeffrey (2000). The Merger: The Conglomeration of International Organized Crime.