Yuriy Viktorovich Vasilchuk, a 33-year-old Portland man, was handed a 49-month federal prison sentence for the distribution of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and the theft of COVID relief funds, as reported on Monday. According to a U.S. Department of Justice, Vasilchuk was also ordered to undergo three years of supervised release and make restitution amounting to $32,855 to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Investigations into Vasilchuk began in early 2021 when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified him as a supplier in the Portland area for counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, this initially led to his arrest in December of that year after he was discovered in a stolen vehicle with 88 of the counterfeit pills however, he was later released. HSI agents and Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) probation officers attempted to apprehend Vasilchuk following a federal grand jury indictment on May 3, 2022, but he then fled, almost hitting an officer with the stolen vehicle leading to a chase that caused several accidents before becoming inoperable, ending with Vasilchuk attempting to escape on foot and eventually being found hidden in an abandoned RV.
Further investigation uncovered that from March through November 2021, Vasilchuk falsely applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), lying about his felony convictions on the applications, this enabled him to receive more than $32,000 in federal funds which he spent on personal expenses. Vasilchuk faced additional charges of wire fraud on August 22, 2023, with a plea of guilty entered on March 11, 2024, effectively concluding both his criminal cases related to wire fraud and his intent to distribute fentanyl.
The combined effort of agencies in these cases, which included HSI, the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN), and the SBA Office of Inspector General with the assistance from Portland Police Bureau and DCJ, led to Vasilchuk’s prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassady A. Adams and Rachel K. Sowary revealing the often-unseen collaboration among local and federal entities to combat both drug trafficking and fraud. WIN, supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program ensures multi-agency coordination, crucial for tackling complex cases like that of Vasilchuk's, who exploited the opportunities presented during the pandemic for personal gain at the cost of public health and economic support systems.
