Nefarious: Flagrantly wicked or impious
Gyorgy, aka Yury, is doing time. With good behavior, he’ll be out in six years. If he’s accepted the error of his ways, he’ll emerge slimmer, wiser and repentant, and able to do some good for the world with the millions he could have salted away before the long arm of the law caught up with him. If not, he’ll have adopted the nickname Poodge and will wither away as most pariahs do. He was an algebra prodigy aged 16, sent to Europe to participate in competitions by the teacher who nurtured him. Instead, this mathlete utilized this time away from home to hit home runs in the clubs and bars, and rather than make a caped appearance at the tourney, he spent the long weekend aping a Belushi-like drunken haze. His father being well connected, and both carrying a tinkie in their left eye, the punishment was light.
It was many years later that he would leave me dying on the vine, in a situation where I had little to do all day but twiddle my thumbs, until I could take no more and waved the flag. He spent months concocting his grand theft larceny with his educated wife Lady Da-da and possible co-conspirator S, with whom he had a high-low relationship, the irony being that he managed to steal from a company whose bagman diplomacy senior managers were arguably more corrupt than he was. The first $25 million plot was but a snippet of the larger conspiracy, running upwards of $180 million, but was simpler and less technical. In other words, the evidence for the first intrigue was embedded in ordinary text messages and notations in the margins of Barbour Clothing desk calendars, but the latter in surreptitious pillow talk at waiting list only restaurants and in coded and lightly coated emails.
The decision to move forward was taken not lightly over macchiatos at the Europa Café, for as the court record attests (digitally remastered):
“Gyoygy told him that if he wanted the sign-on fee they had negotiated, he had to sign the Deed; that he was not happy at being bullied in this way; that he discussed his concerns with A; that she (A) then discussed her own concerns with him; and that he then had further discussions with J.”
“Not happy” at “being bullied” into accepting a six figure bribe. Calling all professional custodians of the collected works of Dr Seuss, your presence is requested on the character witness stand.
For the $25 million scheme to succeed, it was necessary for the “celebrated trader” Gyorgy and S to convince three workmates N, A and J to go along with a sleight of hand, which in the conceptual understanding of the corrupt company each would receive $5 million for signing on the dotted line. However, N, A and J were “bullied” by Gyorgy into splitting $2.25 million, rather than receiving $5 million apiece, but as this was free money, who were they to complain, even were they aware of the bigger picture. The scheme almost ran aground on two counts, the first being that as totem pole topper, Gyorgy would collect $12-13 million, but S only $2.5 million, even though S and Gyorgy hatched the plan together - the difference with the 5X5 being kicked back to corrupt company middlemen – equally secretive toward their senior management - via their offshore vehicle Firmly Oceans.
Despite a relentless cycle of quarrelling, S eventually did capitulate, because after all Gyorgy was the instigator and had the better relationships with the middlemen at the corrupt company, despite being equal partners in theory. Moreover, $2.5 million of free money is better than no free money, and although this was not in his thoughts during the negotiations, ultimately he was less legally exposed and was able to walk unimpeded into the fresh air ensuing to the criminal portion of the proceedings. This left him free to realize his vision, which was to purchase an industrial capacity ice cream crank and lease on a store front zoned for food and drink, and purvey Italian Ice to the public with two like minded but unaffiliated acquaintances.
By hook or by crook, the non-conspirators N, A and J reached agreement on non-equal shares, I suppose in accordance with age and seniority, knowing full well they had nothing tangible to bring to the table at the new corrupt company, but Gyorgy and the middlemen (including but not limited to, K) agonized about whether they would be able to hatch their stratagem because N was “too honest.”
The corrupt company remitted $25 million to Gyorgy directly, theoretically leaving him to dole out $20 million to his four associates. The corrupt company thus assumed N would receive a signing bonus of $5 million, but Gyorgy and S had negotiated a payment of $1 million. However, N insisted on being paid his $1 million on the books, which duly implied he’d insist on paying his fair share of taxes at source. In this instance, the corrupt company would sense that something was wrong in Den Marks (it might be inclined to “ask awkward questions”), unless Gyorgy and S etc could fathom a reason that N deserved $1 million extra, that he had some special hardship.
He needs a one-off sum for a property or a BMW for which he had already made a good faith payment and wouldn’t you know the figures matched exactly. This mechanism might prove “more efficient” all around. Being “hailed as a genius,” Gyorgy concluded the best course of action was to forge N’s signature, as a dotted i’s and crossed t’s witness testified. Gyorgy and S clearly chose the wrong person to authenticate N’s autograph for the courts, because this individual (also N, but NS for the sake of clarity) was unable to recognize N from a can of Shinola – or his passport photo.
Don’t jump to the conclusion that all avenues were not explored, because drawing on his experience as a decadent math Olympian, Gyorgy ruminated over “compromising” situations for N which might culminate with “pictures of him with a prostitute or taking drugs which we could then use against him if he ever became difficult over the sign-on fee arrangements.” The thought of N with a prostitute from the Galstuk club (number 21,748 of places to eat in its city, apparently – and TripAdvisor don’ lie about “clubs”), let alone pictures of him sozzled with a girl on each arm. I can think of former associates at his agency who would have volunteered for this striation of the scheme, even without the lure of $1 million paid offshore, as long as they were able to pud around with the camera beforehand.
A more convincing ploy would have been to feed him a large T-bone at Bay Curry or Meat & Great (or Coq d’Argent, apparently - the key word “restaurant” appears 18 times in the court report, although far less than the word “fraud,” some 331 occasions. Five hour dinners at Umu - where the a la carte damage for grilled plant-based items runs to £30 - are reserved for more complex negotiations – excuse me, grilled “seasonal” plant-based items), because his vegetarian wife would be able to smell it on him, and then he would be in real big trouble. Counsel to Gyorgy asserted that N was “complicit” and that his main priority was to “seek a quiet life,” but the judge was unconvinced. However, N was not the hero of this piece, he is no hero at all.
Moreover, he did definitively join the corrupt company so he must have been recompensed somehow, without which he wouldn’t have enlisted, even 1) if the court files are not fully illustrative on this matter, 2) he declined to go along with the scam-most portion of the scheme and 3) his signature was definitively forged. In addition, when he was sitting at home in an unemployable state of shame and I found a good and secure job for this poor me, feel sorry for me sadsack, despite secretly going along with the exodus, he did forward at least one Greek letter of apology or appreciation: Bahahaha. I’m sure he’s assisted others in need during his lifetime, I’m sure he’s not totally selfish. Double secret Bahahaha.
Murph, better known as “The man, the myth, the Murph,” labelled our quadrant of the industry “trafficking,” and this is in no small way why N described Gyorgy’s professional skill as analogous to a traffic cop. Before the falling out, that is, and wonder how much Gyorgy charged to fix a failure to yield ticket.
The judge handed backhanded compliments to A and J, by insinuating there could be no good reason for receiving signing bonuses offshore, but what’s a judge to do and there were 18 defendants at the civil trial as it was, including a father and son pair, the latter of whom was formerly a Deputy Health Minister in Central Asia. Oh to be Judge Eder or the handwriting expert Lawrence. I’m surprised the phrase ‘yes, 5 for each’ has not become an internet sensation by now.
From the court records:
“Mr McBane then responds: Haha … you are like a woman …”
and
“And what she has sent us, three, is utter s**t. I don’t know where the f*** she got it from? She can shove it up into her a**e. Tell her that.”
The irony is that this episode doesn’t bother me in the least, these people don’t disgust me, they are too laughable, and you can’t pay your bills on the back of someone else’s received criticism. In the judge’s view, “they (N, A and J) must have realised that this was for some nefarious purpose,” and the excuse that they were “bullied” into participating in the $25 million fraud, or were “naïve,” is eye rolling. I was bullied into accepting a $750,000 offshore bribe. I couldn’t help myself. Poor, poor nefarious me. The judge was too harsh on J, though, because his stipend was modest, he probably felt he was without a choice, and he was young and naïve.
In this judge’s own words:
“It was nothing less than blatant dishonesty by each of these individuals driven by simple greed and self-interest on their part.”
Gyorgy: an “authoritarian figure.” Tee hee hee, he used to send emails to S asking which dress he planned to wear to the office the following morning, and accidentally on purpose copy the entire division. Moreover, look at him, he comported himself like a true slob. End of story. Let’s come back to this in, oh, about six years.
Outtakes
“G: … well focus … OK … I am here just in case … otherwise push …
S: … yes, mate, pushing like giving birth … and its triplets.
G: … well mate … if a child is best gifr for a person … to triplets … it is x3 … so push harder mama.
S: … oh man I am so sick of it … everyone wants something from me, they f*** my brains all morning … it is not triplets any more, it is a happy fat dozen …”
and
“G: Signore … send me text when u give birth … K?
S: … aaalmost there … just spoke all OK. It seems all polished out … so closing it tod …
G: … anyway … let me know pls … as wanna take a picture … of those newborn: - ()
S: … it’s a very ugly one … the proverbial donut without a hole …”
and
“G: … OK … I’ll go. I bought myself a Big Mac … with fries.
S: was thinking along the same lines but then not sure I deserve a supersize deal though … might choke on it …
G: … with clear conscience …”