Two Ukrainian nationals, formerly extradited from Thailand, have been handed down 15-year sentences in the U.S. for their involvement in Florida labor-staffing companies engaged in tax, immigration fraud, and money laundering. Oleg Oliynyk and Oleksandr Yurchyk were sentenced for operating several companies that employed unauthorized workers and for defrauding the U.S. government of over $25 million in taxes, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Oliynyk and Yurchyk’s sentence extends beyond prison time, with U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez also ordering three years of supervised release, and payment of just over $10.8 million in restitution to the United States, as well as forfeiture of $11 million. The sentencing is part of a broader investigation dubbed Operation RoomKey, which has seen various defendants associated with immigration and tax fraud schemes tried and convicted.
A cohort of co-defendants associated with similar labor staffing operations faced justice in previous months. Defendants like Mikus Berzins and Igor Kasyanenko admitted guilt and received prison sentences varying from 12 to 28 months for their own roles in these schemes. According to Justice Department release, these individuals were involved with Phoenix ADB Services Inc., a company implicated in similar unauthorized employment activities.
Additional sentences have been doled out to figures such as Batyr Myatiev, and Eka Samadashvili, who were sentenced in 2023 for their part in various labor staffing companies that skirted tax laws and employed non-resident aliens without proper work authorization. These actions, as outlined in court records, resulted in tax losses exceeding millions and compromised the integrity of the U.S. labor market.
The case has been vigorously pursued by several agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Chris Clark of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, among others.
