Tariel Oniani
Tariel Oniani | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 (age 72–73) Georgia |
| Other names | Taro |
| Criminal status | _Star_-_Tattoo_(1).png){kind=small} |
| Criminal charge | Extortion |
Tariel Oniani (Georgian: ტარიელ ონიანი; born 1952) is a Georgian mafia boss and 'thief in law'. He is reportedly a member of the "Kutaisi" criminal gang.[1]
Background and activity in Spain
Born in the mining town of
In the 1990s Oniani moved to
Return to Moscow and gang warfare
After the 2005 incident, Tariel Oniani moved back to Moscow, under the assumed identity of Tariel Mulukhov.[1] Tensions grew between Oniani and rival crime boss Aslan "Grandpa Hassan" Usoyan. Around 2007, members of Usoyan's gang started turning up dead, including Armenian national Alek Minalyan, who was allegedly in charge of extorting construction firms working on the 2014 Winter Olympics.[4]
In 2008, in response to the growing violence, a meeting was called on Oniani's private yacht in an attempt to make peace between the two factions. However, Russian authorities were notified of the meeting and used the opportunity to conduct a well-publicised raid and arrest dozens of gangsters.[5] The gangsters were paraded in front of media cameras by police before being detained. The yacht meeting did not break up the violence, and the mobsters turned to noted vor Vyacheslav Ivankov to act as a mediator. Ivankov ended up taking the side of the older and more experienced Usoyan, rather than Oniani, whom he saw as a younger upstart.[4] In July 2009, Ivankov was shot by an assassin with a sniper rifle while leaving a restaurant, and died of his wounds a few months later. It is believed his murder was a result of his taking the side of Usoyan in the gangland dispute.[6]
In December 2011, Spanish newspapers reported that Tariel's mansion in Barcelona had been illegally occupied by squatters. Meanwhile Oniani was placed under arrest in Russia for the kidnapping of a businessman. Russian authorities refused his advocate's bail offer of 15 million rubles.[1] Meanwhile, across Europe, several of his subordinates had been shot dead, including Vladimir Janashia in France and Malhas Kitai in Greece.[7]
In July 2010 Oniani and associates were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the kidnapping. Oniani reacted to the verdict with profanity and vowed to appeal.
References
- ^ a b c d Georgia Times - “Tariel Oniani’s case” has united Moscow and Tbilisi, June 16th 2009
- ^ a b c Kommersant - "Clean Villa" Operation, June 22 2005 Archived 2009-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Publico.es - Capo, preso y accionista de Lukoil Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine (Spanish)
- ^ a b TIME Magazine - Will Medvedev's New Laws Help Russia Take Down the Mafia? Oct. 13, 2009
- ^ New York Times - In a River Raid, a Glimpse of Russia’s Criminal Elite, July 30, 2008
- ^ The Times - Russia salutes its mafia as the good guys, October 25, 2009[dead link]
- ^ Gazeta.ru - За Япончика отомстили в Греции (Russian)
- ^ The Moscow Times - Reputed Georgian Mafia Boss Jailed for 10 Years Archived 2012-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gazeta.ru - Россия передала Испании осужденного за похищение человека криминального авторитета Ониани
- ^ "Russian Mafia Boss Killed in Moscow, Police Say". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ Radio Free Europe: Mob Wars: A Vor For A Vor
- ^ "So called thief-in-law Tariel Oniani released from Russian prison".
- ^ Из России экстрадирован Тариел Ониани — Официальный сайт МВД РФ