Thursday, August 29
International arrest warrant issued: Convicted couple flees from Berlin to the USA
Although the couple have fled, police have already confiscated much of their property: A G-Class Jeep, a Mercedes convertible, the keys to a skyscraper apartment in Miami.
These trappings of wealth all belonged to two US citizens with Russian roots, Kristina and Alexandre Z, who were convicted at the Berlin Regional Court in May 2023 as being part of a major criminal gang. The verdict had been passed and pair were due to go to prison soon, but remained free until the execution of their sentence, since they were appealing the sentence and the court had suspended pre-trial detention. Now authorities confirm that both suspects have fled to the USA.
The criminal enterprise operated by the couple involved smuggling workers, mainly young men, into Germany under false promises. Usually, these victims were recruited from countries like Kazakhstan, Ukraine, or the republic of Moldova. They were then provided false documents allowing them to work as temporary employees in Germany. Many of them in retail logistics firms in Berlin and Brandenburg.
On paper, these workers would receive the standard minimum wage of around €9 per hour. In reality, they would get only 36 or 50 percent of that, no holiday pay, no sick pay, and be forced to stay in cramped accommodation with up to 15 people sharing two rooms.
The couple’s role was to negotiate new customers among the logistics firms. They lived a lavish lifestyle, owning cars with a value of €300,000. At the property they owned in Berlin-Schmargendorf, their neighbours assumed they were rich dentists. US authorities are aware of the pair, but the couple remain at large.
