Washington, DC - Five people, all members of the same family, have been indicted on federal charges alleging that they took part in a $4 million extortion and money laundering scheme. A sixth family member has been indicted on charges of tampering with a witness.
The indictments were announced by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Five of the defendants are to appear this afternoon for a status hearing before the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. They earlier pled not guilty to charges in the indictment. The indictment was returned on April 19, 2018, and unsealed on April 25, 2018.
Those scheduled to make court appearances include Archie Kaslov, 51, his wife, Candy Evans, 48, and their sons: Tony John Evans, 29; Robert Evans, 30, and Corry Blue Evans, 25. All are from New York, N.Y. Gina Rita Russell, 29, of Los Angeles, Calif., remains in custody while awaiting extradition to the District of Columbia. She is the common law spouse of Robert Evans.
According to the indictment, from approximately November 2016 through approximately April 2017, Kaslov, Tony John Evans, Robert Evans, Corry Blue Evans, and Russell engaged in a wide-ranging scheme to enrich themselves through the extortion and attempted extortion of others and through the scheme received more than $4 million in cash, gold bars, and gold coins.
The indictment also alleges that from approximately January 2017 through June 2017, these same five defendants engaged in a scheme to launder their fraudulent proceeds. The indictment alleges that they used the fraudulent proceeds to purchase, among other items, luxury merchandise, jewelry, designer watches, and two Rolls Royce Phantom automobiles.
The indictment further alleges that Candy Evans and Russell engaged in obstruction of justice through various conduct, which included arranging a fraudulent marriage in an attempt to obstruct potential witness testimony, creating a false letter of exoneration, and coaching potential witnesses on false information to provide to law enforcement.
With the exception of Candy Evans, all of the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, bank fraud, and wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Candy Evans is charged with three counts of tampering with a witness. Kaslov also is charged with three counts of money laundering. Tony Evans and Robert Evans also are charged with one count each of interference with interstate commerce by extortion and money laundering. Corry Blue Evans also is charged with one count each of bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Russell also is charged with one count of interference with interstate commerce by extortion, one count of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud, and three counts of tampering with a witness.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Inspector General Horowitz expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Office of the Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who is assisting with forfeiture issues, Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips, Kristy Penny and Joshua Fein, former Paralegal Specialist Jessica Mundi, and Forensic Accountant Bryan Snitselaar.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Kent and Kondi Kleinman, who investigated and are prosecuting the case.