Oregon man accused of illegally moving $172M to 50 countries through shell corporations

Oregon man accused of illegally moving $172M

PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon man has been indicted on charges of illegally using shell corporations to move $172 million to 50 countries.

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Victor Kaganov of Tigard was indicted on a charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business that made more than 4,200 wire transactions.

Kaganov, a Russian immigrant, is accused of establishing multiple shell corporations in Oregon on behalf of Russian clients, most of them outside the United States.

U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton said transactions like the ones alleged in the indictment can hide millions of dollars overseas and threaten the integrity of the U.S. financial system.

Patrick Ehlers, the public defender assigned to Kaganov’s case, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.