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{{Short description|Entrepreneur and former banker}}
{{Notability|Biographies|date=April 2008}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Alex Konanykhin
| honorific_suffix =
| image = AlexKonanykhin.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name = Александр Павлович Конаныхин
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|09|25}}
| birth_place = ], USSR
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| citizenship = ], ], and ]<ref name=WI>{{cite web|url=http://washingtoninformer.com/news/2013/sep/18/billions-taxpayer-money-lost-overbilling|date=September 18, 2013|access-date=October 9, 2013|title=Billions in Taxpayer Money Lost to Overbilling|publisher=Washington Informer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203223206/http://washingtoninformer.com/news/2013/sep/18/billions-taxpayer-money-lost-overbilling/|archive-date=December 3, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| occupation = ], TransparentBusiness
| known_for = Entrepreneur, former banker
| awards = 2004 New York Businessman of the Year, ]<br />2011 WW IT Visionary Award from ''CIO Magazine''}}


'''Alex Konanykhin''' (born '''Alexander Pavlovich Konanykhin''' ({{langx|ru|Александр Павлович Конаныхин}}) September 25, 1966) is an entrepreneur and former banker. He started his career by founding a private bank in Russia towards the end of communist rule. Konanykhin is sometimes spelled as Konanykhine.<ref name="NYT_2006_12_10">{{cite news|last=Shane|first=Scott|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E6DE1431F933A25751C1A9609C8B63
'''Alex Konanykhin''' (b. Alexandre Pavlovich Konanykhine, Ostashkov, ], September, 25, 1966) is an entrepreneur and former banker,<ref>Constable, Pamela, “Russian Pair in Custody, Accused of Embezzlement,” The Washington Post, June 29, 1996.</ref> CEO of The Syndicated News,<ref>See http://TheSyndicatedNews.com.</ref> and past member of Russian President ]’s inner circle.<ref> Farah, Douglas, “Couple Tied to Putin Foes, Fights Deportation,” Washington Post, January 9, 2004.</ref> In Russia by the early 1990’s he amassed a $300 million banking and real estate empire,<ref>Alexander, Karen, “Did KGB Dupe INS?” Legal Times, July 28, 1997.</ref> including the Russian Real Estate Exchange, the first of its kind in Russia, and the Russian Exchange Bank, at the time the largest commercial bank in the nation. Forced to flee Russia in 1992 after his financial empire was taken over by former ] officers working in tandem with the Russian mafia,<ref>Alexander.</ref> Konanykhin settled down in the United States where he and his wife, Elena Gratcheva, went on to found the Internet firms, KMGI and Publicity Guaranteed, a public relations agency.<ref>See http://www.kmgi.com and http://www.publicityguaranteed.com.</ref> In 2004 Konanykhin was named “New York Businessman of the Year” by the ].<ref> Kamen, Al, “In the Loop,” The Washington Post, February 13, 2004, page A25.</ref>
|title=When an Ex-K.G.B. Man Says They're Out to Get Him|location=Russia; UK|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2006-12-10|quote=Alex Konanykhin, a former Russian banker who fled to the United States in 1992 after former K.G.B. officers muscled him out of his own business.}}</ref><ref name="BaltimoreSun_1999_02_23">{{cite news|title=Federal judge grants Russian banker political asylum|first=Scott|last=Shane|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1999/02/23/federal-judge-grants-russian-banker-political-asylum-court-rules-man-targeted-for-exposing-corruption/|newspaper=]|date=1999-02-23|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-date=2012-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913042929/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-02-23/news/9902230236_1_asylum-russian-federal-judge|url-status=live}}</ref>


Konanykhin and his wife left Russia in 1992, and seven years later were granted ] in the United States.<ref name="BaltimoreSun_1999_02_23"/> The asylum grants were reversed in 2004, but reinstated in 2007.<ref name="kommersant">{{cite web|url=http://www.kommersant.com/p818811/r_500/Konanykhin_green_card|title=Konanykhin Granted Political Refugee Status – Kommersant Moscow|publisher=Kommersant.com|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010063920/http://www.kommersant.com/p818811/r_500/Konanykhin_green_card/|archive-date=2012-10-10|url-status=dead}}</ref> He spent his business career largely in the United States, being a citizen of Italy, Russia, and Argentina.<ref name=WI/> He has founded companies including ] and TransparentBusiness.
In 1999 Konanykhin and Gratcheva were granted political ] in the United States, the first citizens of post-Soviet Russia to be given this status.<ref>Shane, Scott, “Federal Judge Grants Russian Banker PoliticalAsylum.</ref> Konanykhin’s asylum was later reversed in 2004, subsequently to be reinstated in 2007.<ref>“Konanykhin Granted Political Refugee Status,” Kommersant, October 27, 2007.</ref> Konanykhin is also the author of the acclaimed<ref>See http://www.defiancethebook.com.</ref> memoir ''Defiance: Or How to Succeed in Business Despite Being Hounded by the FBI, the KGB, the INS, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, Interpol, and Mafia Hit Men'',<ref> Renaissance Books, September 30, 2006.</ref> which outlines his business successes and legal travails with the Russian and American governments.


==Early life==
Konanykhin studied at the Department of Space Research at the ] to pursue a career in engineering.<ref name="ReferenceA">]. "" Washington Post, June 29, 1996</ref> In 1986, he was expelled from MIPT for running a small business during his summer vacation.<ref name="Grigg">William Norman Grigg, "Cozy with the KGB", ''The New American'', Volume 13, Number 20, September 29, 1997.</ref> After his expulsion, he took advantage of the loosening business climate during ]'s economic reforms ('']''). Within a few years, he became the head of a $30 million construction enterprise.<ref name="WashPost_1996_08_18">Pamela Constable, , ''The Washington Post'', August 18, 1996.</ref>


==Russian Years== ==Career in Russia==
In 1991, Konanykhin was the founder, co-owner, and President of the Russian Exchange Bank,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pravdareport.com/hotspots/crimes/13-01-2004/4570-konanykhin-0/ |publisher=Pravda |title=US authorities arrested Khodorkovsky's former partner |date=January 13, 2004 |access-date=February 19, 2018 |archive-date=November 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122150641/http://www.pravdareport.com/hotspots/crimes/13-01-2004/4570-konanykhin-0/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://old.themoscowtimes.com/sitemap/free/2004/1/article/press-review/233586.html/ |work=] |title=Press Review |date=July 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kommersant.com/p806310/Konanykhin_asulym|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140330190007/http://www.kommersant.com/p806310/Konanykhin_asulym|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 30, 2014|title=Escaped Banker Acknowledged Victim of Russia|newspaper=Kommersant|date=September 20, 2007}}</ref> which became the first institution to receive a currency-trading license from the Yeltsin government.<ref name="BaltimoreSun_1999_02_23"/> In 1992, he was one of the delegates to accompany Yeltsin to Washington, D.C., where they met with President ], and afterwards, in Canada with Prime Minister ].<ref name="WashPost_1996_08_18"/> Richard Sakwa named him the wealthiest person in Russia at that time,<ref>{{cite book |title=Putin and the Oligarch: The Khodorkovsky-Yukos Affair |author=Richard Sakwa |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2014 |page=245}}</ref> with an estimated $300 million in net worth.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jury awards $35.5 Million to Russian in libel case |newspaper=Washington Post |date=December 16, 1999|author=Patricia Davis}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://news.vice.com/article/ukraine-turns-up-the-charm-to-capture-billions-in-it-outsourcing |magazine=Vice |title=Ukraine Turns Up the Charm to Capture Billions in IT Outsourcing |author=Samuel Oakford |date=June 3, 2014}}</ref> He had developed about 100 different companies within Russia by this time, when he was twenty-five years old.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/08/18/from-russia-with-chutzpah/a37d4fb3-c0ae-443d-b2ee-72c8cb154cb5/ |title=From Russia With Chutzpah |newspaper=The Washington Post |author=Pamela Constable |date=August 18, 1996}}</ref>


In 1992 he was kidnapped while on a business trip to ], during which time his business assets in Russia were seized. This account is according to Alex himself. Russian sources have a different account of events, based on a US court case.<ref>{{cite news |last1=K |first1=Alex |title=From Russia with Chutzpah |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=21 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="CNN">{{Cite news |last1=Vassileva |first1=Ralitsa |last2=Mann |first2=Jonathan |date=November 24, 2006 |title=New Outbreaks of Violence in Iraq After Sadr City Attacks; Radioactive Element Found in Body of Ex-Spy; Vladimir Putin Denies Kremlin Involvement in Poisoning |publisher=CNN.com |url=http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/24/ywt.01.html |access-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref> Konanykhin claims he fled to New York where he delivered protest letters to senior Moscow officials and members of the press warning of the looming "]". This prompted an investigation by the Moscow-based military prosecutor's office, and Konanykhin soon found himself under investigation. The prosecutor, Alexander Volvodez, now charged Konanykhin with illegally wiring $8.1 million from the Russian Exchange Bank to overseas accounts, and many other crimes, and demanded his extradition to Russia.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> All charges were later dropped.<ref name=MHI />
Konanykhin studied at the Department of Space at Moscow’s prestigious MIPT (the ]) with the intention of becoming a rocket scientist.<ref>Constable, “Russian Pair in Custody, Accused of Embezzlement.”</ref> In 1986 he was expelled from MIPT for running a successful small business during his summer vacation.<ref>Grigg, William Norman, “Cozy with the KGB,” The New American, Volume 13, Number 20, September 29, 1997.</ref> After his expulsion, Konanykhin took advantage of the loosening business climate in the wake of ]’s economic reforms ('']''), and within a few years was head of a $30 Million construction enterprise.<ref>Constable, Pamela, “From Russia with Chutzpah,” The Washington Post, August 18, 1996.</ref>


As hearings in American federal court would later show, during this time the ] had opened a division in Moscow; because American prosecutors and FBI officials were anxious to develop a relationship with Russian law enforcement officials, they had agreed to assist Volvodez in his request for Konanykhin's deportation. However, as Russia and the United States do not have an extradition treaty, Justice Department officials agreed to try to deport him for violating immigration laws under a minor visa violation.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> The allegation was later proven false and dismissed during Konanykhin's first grant of asylum in 1999.<ref>"Federal Judge Orders an Internal Justice Department Probe", ''Baltimore Sun'', February 23, 1999.</ref>
In 1989 Konanykhin financed anti-Communist reformer Boris Yeltsin’s bid for a position on the Russian Supreme Soviet.<ref>Shane, “Federal Judge Grants Russian Banker Political Asylum."</ref> A year and half after winning this underdog contest, Yeltsin was able to consolidate his support base and leverage himself into the chair of the first President of Russia. Konanykhin was rewarded by Yeltsin for his support with the former state residence of Mikhail Gorbachev and a private security detail.<ref>Shane, Scott, “Russia Goes on Trial in Immigration Case,” The Baltimore Sun, December 24, 1998.</ref>


==First immigration trial==
In 1991 Konanykhin founded the Russian Exchange Bank, which became the first institution to receive a currency-trading license from President Yeltsin’s government.<ref>Shane, “Federal Judge Grants Russian Banker PoliticalAsylum.”</ref> In the Summer of 1992 Konanykhin accompanied Yeltsin’s first delegation to Washington, D.C. where they met with President ] and, afterwards, in Canada with Prime Minister ].<ref>Constable, Pamela, “From Russia with Chutzpah.” </ref>
On June 27, 1996, ] (INS) agents along with Russian federal prosecutors arrested Konanykhin and his wife, Elena Gratcheva, at their ] apartment in ] The couple was taken to ], and charged in federal immigration court with violating the conditions of their temporary U.S. visas.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Between July 19 and August 2, 1996, hearings were held by <!-- federal judge or immigration judge?? -->Judge John M. Bryant to determine if, as Konanykhin claimed, his deportation was being masterminded by Russian prosecutor Volvodez for political reasons, and if Konanykhin's life and/or freedom were in danger. The trial touched upon issues as to whether the ] had taken over the Russian banking industry, and also if the United States government had been fooled into going after Konanykhin.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>{{efn|] allegedly provided assistance during this 1996 INS investigation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Бонини |first=Карло (Bonini, Carlo) |url=http://www.inopressa.ru/details.htm?id=773 |title=Скандалы: "Путин может наказать Соединенные Штаты" |trans-title=Scandals: "Putin can punish the United States" |language=ru |work=Corriere della Sera |date=January 19, 1999 |access-date=September 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010721063442/http://www.inopressa.ru/details.htm?id=773 |archive-date=July 21, 2001}} This is a Russian translation of an article originally published in Italian. The is a dead link.</ref>}}


In court Konanykhin testified he was being targeted by Volvodez and the Russian government because of his anti-corruption campaign, and his lawyers argued that he had transferred money to private accounts to prevent it from being stolen.<ref name="maggio"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727082217/http://michaelmaggio.org/resources/The+London+Express+-+My+Fear+of+the+Mobski+12-10-96.pdf |date=2011-07-27 }}, michaelmaggio.org; December 10, 1996.</ref><ref>Emily Compston, "My Fear of the Mobski", ''The London Daily Express'', December 10, 1996.</ref> Appearing as witnesses at the trial were FBI agents who testified that the Russian mafia had previously taken out a contract on Konanykhin's life. Also appearing were former ] prosecutor, Antoinette Rizzi, who had previously been in charge of the government's case against Konanykhin, and former KGB agent ]. Both Rizzi and Shvets testified that they had serious doubts about the charges filed against Konanykhin by Volvodez and the American government.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
In the early 1990’s many Russian businessmen were killed or forced to team up with organized crime as the combined forces of former KGB officers and the Russian mafia began to take back control over the country that had been wrested away by Gorbachev and Yeltsin. <ref>Lister, David and James Bone, “Banker Tells of Kidnap by Russian Mafia,” The Times, September 6, 1999.</ref> Then in 1992, while on a business trip to Hungary, Konanykhin was kidnapped by rogue former KGB officers working in tandem with the "Solnetsevo" crime group under the control of Semyon Mogilevich, who proceeded to take over Konanykhin’s financial empire.<ref>Lister.</ref>


On August 26, 1997, in federal court in Arlington County, a settlement agreement was reached between Konanykhin, who had spent more than 13 months in INS custody, although Gratcheva had been released on supervision, and the District Director of the Arlington INS District Office, and endorsed by District Judge ].<ref>Alexander, Karen, "Russian Freed, INS Faces Ethics Probe", ''Legal Times'', September 1, 1997.</ref> Judge Ellis stated that he found the testimonies of Yuri Shvets and Antoinette Rizzi in Konanykhin's immigration case "credible and somewhat disturbing".<ref name="Grigg"/> ordered the INS to pay $100,000 of Konanykhin's legal fees to pro bono counsel at ].<ref name="ReferenceC">Alexander, "Russian Freed, INS Faces Ethics Probe".</ref> The settlement also ordered Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Spencer to confirm within 30 days that there would be an internal probe by the ] into the conduct of INS lawyers at the hearing.<ref name="ReferenceC"/>
==American Years==


==Libel lawsuits and political asylum==
After his kidnapping in Hungary, Konanykhin escaped to New York where he delivered protest letters to senior Moscow officials and members of the press warning of the looming “mafiocracy.” "I am addressing this letter,” he wrote on September 6, 1992 to government officials and Russian newspapers, “to warn you of a serious political danger -- the seizure of large commercial organizations by mafia-opposition circles that will stop at nothing to achieve their ends."<ref>Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.”</ref> When there were no responses to his letters, Konanykhin contacted President Yeltsin directly.<ref>Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.”</ref> This prompted an investigation by the Moscow-based military prosecutor’s office, and Konanykhin soon also found himself under investigation. The prosecutor, Alexandre Volvodez, now charged that Konanykhin had illegally wired $8.1 million from his Russian Exchange Bank to overseas accounts, and demanded his extradition back to Russia.<ref>Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.” </ref>
In a lawsuit filed in February 1997 with the Arlington County Circuit Court, Konanykhin alleged defamation against the daily Russian newspaper '']'' which had reported that Konanykhin was involved in various criminal acts. The suit claimed that the information was erroneous and published with "reckless disregard for its truth or actual malice."<ref name="Buel">Jessica S. Buel, "Jury Awards Russian $33 M Damage Ruling", ''The Arlington Journal'', December 15, 1999.</ref> An Arlington County Circuit Court jury recommended Konanykhin be awarded $33.5 million.<ref name="Buel"/> Soon thereafter the same court awarded him an additional $3 million in a ] case against the Russian financial journal '']''.<ref>"U.S. Court Finds Kommersant Guilty of Libel", ''The Moscow Times'', January 25, 2000.</ref> According to '']'', in 2010 the amount remained the largest amount ever awarded to an individual in a libel suit.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Naked Truth about Libel|newspaper=]|author=Ciara Kenny|date=November 21, 2010}}</ref>


On February 23, 1999, Judge Bryant granted political asylum to Konanykhin and Gratcheva, saying the former banker faced persecution and possible death if returned to Russia to face embezzlement charges. In his decision, Bryant wrote that testimony from several experts had convinced him that Konanykhin was being targeted for prosecution for political reasons.<ref name="BaltimoreSun_1999_02_23"/>
As hearings in American federal court would later prove, during this time the ] had opened a division in Moscow, and because American prosecutors and FBI officials were anxious to develop a relationship with Russian law enforcement officials, they had agreed to assist Volvodez in his request for Konanykhin’s deportation.<ref>Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.”</ref> But because Russia and the United States do not have an extradition treaty, Justice Department officials agreed to try to deport him for allegedly violating immigration laws under a minor visa violation.<ref>Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.” </ref> The allegation was later proven false and dismissed during Konanykhin’s first granting of asylum in 1999.<ref>“Federal Judge Orders an Internal Justice Department Probe,” Baltimore Sun, February 23, 1999.</ref>


Temporarily freed from his trials with the Russian and American governments, Konanykhin and Gratcheva went on to develop a $100 million Internet startup in New York called KMGi, among other businesses.<ref>Baroney, Michael, "Russian Rebel", ''Profit Magazine'', September, 1999.</ref> On November 20, 2003, however, the ] revoked Konanykhin's political asylum and ordered him returned to Russia.<ref name="sh2">{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2003/11/25/ex-banker-ordered-to-return-to-russia/|title=Ex-banker ordered to return to Russia|publisher=Articles.baltimoresun.com|date=2003-11-25|access-date=2010-12-28}}</ref> The ruling came less than a month (October 25, 2003) after the arrest of ], Konanykhin's former banking rival in Russia and business partner during his exile. Konanykhin had served as vice president for the international development of Khodorkovsky's bank, ].<ref name="sh2"/>
On June 27, 1996 INS agents along with Russian federal prosecutors arrested Konanykhin and Gratcheva at their Watergate apartment in Washington, D.C. The couple was flown to Arlington, Virginia and charged in federal immigration court with violating the conditions their temporary U.S. visas.<ref>Constable, “Russian Pair in Custody, Accused of Embezzlement.”</ref> Between July 19 and August 2 of 1996 hearings were held in the courtroom of Judge John M. Bryant to determine if, as Konanykhin claimed, his deportation was being masterminded by Russian army prosecutor Alexandre Volvodez for political reasons, and that Konanykhin’s life was consequently in danger.<ref>Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.” </ref> The trial touched upon issues as to whether the secret police had taken over the Russian banking industry, and also if the United States government had been fooled into going after Konanykhin.<ref> Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.”</ref>


==Second immigration trial==
In court Konanykhin testified he was being targeted by Volvodez and the Russians because of his anti-corruption campaign, and his lawyers argued that he had transferred money to private accounts only to prevent it from being stolen.<ref>Compston, Emily, “My Fear of the Mobski,” The London Express (daily), December 10, 1996.</ref> Appearing as witnesses at the trial were FBI agents who testified that the Russian mafia had previously taken out a contract on Konanykhin’s life.<ref> Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.” </ref> Also appearing were former ] prosecutor, Antoinette Rizzi, who had previously been in charge of the government’s case against Konanykhin, and former KGB agent, Yuri Shvets. Both Rizzi and Shvets testified that they had serious doubts about the charges that had been filed against Konanykhin by Volvodez and the American government.<ref>Constable, “From Russia with Chutzpah.”</ref>
Konanykhin and Gratcheva fled to the ] to evade immigration authorities. There, on December 18, 2003, they were arrested by several ] agents at the ].<ref name="WashPost_2004_01_09">Douglas Farah, "", ''Washington Post'', January 9, 2004.</ref> Konanykhin and Gratcheva were saved from deportation at the last minute by a series of emergency hearings in Federal Court. On January 26, 2004, Judge Ellis delivered his ruling, which found the arrest unlawful, and allowed the couple to stay in the United States temporarily until appeals in their immigration case were exhausted.<ref>Jerry Marken, "Deportation Threat Lifted, Decisions Allow Russian to Stay in U.S. Indefinitely", ''Washington Post'', January 30, 2004.</ref>


For the second time the Department of Justice was ordered to pay compensation to Konanykhin for unlawful arrest.<ref name=III/> In 2005, all charges against him in Russia were dropped.<ref name=MHI>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=11E01C4221FA7898&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Luxury Food Market Targeted By Entrepreneur|author=Andres Amerikaner|newspaper=]|date=January 6, 2008|access-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1204803/luxury_food_market_targeted_by_entrepreneur|title=Luxury Food Market Targeted By Entrepreneur|author=Andres Amerikaner|publisher=] |via=redOrbit.com|date=January 6, 2008|access-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref>
On August 26, 1996 in Federal Court in Arlington, Virginia, a settlement agreement between Konanykhin and the district director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which was endorsed by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, was reached.<ref> Alexander, Karen, “Russian Freed, INS Faces Ethics Probe,” Legal Times, September 1, 1997.</ref> Judge Ellis, who had stated he found the testimonies of Yuri Shvets and Antoinette Rizzi in Konanykhin’s immigration case “credible and somewhat disturbing,”<ref>Grigg. </ref> ordered the INS to pay $100, 000 of Konanykhin’s legal fees to pro bono counsel at Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn.<ref>Alexander, “Russian Freed, INS Faces Ethics Probe.” </ref> The settlement also ordered Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Spencer to confirm within 30 days that there would be an internal probe by the Department of Justice into the conduct of INS lawyers at the hearing.<ref>Alexander, “Russian Freed, INS Faces Ethics Probe.” </ref>
In a lawsuit filed in February, 1997 with the Arlington County Circuit Court, Konanykhin alleged defamation against the daily Russian newspaper ''Izvestia'' which had reported him as being involved in various criminal acts. The suit claimed that the information was erroneous and published with "reckless disregard for its truth or actual malice.”<ref> Buel, Jessica S., “Jury Awards Russian $33 M Damage Ruling,” The Arlington Journal, December 15, 1999.</ref> An Arlington County Circuit Court jury subsequently awarded Konanykhin $33.5 million in damages.<ref>Buel.”</ref> Soon thereafter the same court awarded Konanykhin an additional $3 million in a libel case against the Russian financial journal ''Kommersant''.<ref>“U.S. Court Finds Kommersant Guilty of Libel,” The Moscow Times, January 25, 2000.</ref>


On September 18, 2007, in a federal courtroom in ], Konanykhin was granted asylum for the second time.<ref name=III>{{cite news|url=http://www.kommersant.com/p806310/Konanykhin_asulym|title=Escaped Banker Acknowledged Victim of Russia|newspaper=]|date=2007-09-20|location=Russia|language=Russian|quote=Judge Bryant upheld Konanykhin instead of the Department of Justice|access-date=2011-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430030749/http://www.kommersant.com/p806310/Konanykhin_asulym/|archive-date=2011-04-30|url-status=dead}}</ref>
On February 23, 1999 in Federal Immigration court Judge Bryant granted political asylum to Konanykhin and Gratcheva, saying the former banker faced persecution and possible death if returned to Russia to face embezzlement charges.<ref>Shane, “Federal Judge Grants Russian Banker Political Asylum.”</ref> In his decision Judge Bryant wrote that testimony from several experts had convinced him that Konanykhin was being targeted for prosecution for political reasons.<ref>Shane, “Federal Judge Grants Russian Banker Political Asylum.” </ref>


==Career in America==
Temporarily freed from his trials with the Russian and American governments, Konanykhin and Gratcheva went on to develop a $100 million Internet startup in New York called KMGI, among other businesses.<ref> Baroney, Michael, “Russian Rebel,” Profit Magazine, September, 1999.</ref> But then on November, 20, 2003 the Board of Immigration Appeals revoked Konanykhin’s political asylum and ordered him returned back to Russia.<ref> Shane, Scott, “Ex-Banker Ordered to Return to Russia,” Baltimore Sun, November 25, 2003. </ref> The ruling came less than a month after the arrest by the Putin administration (October 25, 2003) of ], Konanykhin’s former banking rival in Russia and business partner during his exile. Konanykhin had served as vice president for the international development of Khodorkovsky's bank, Menatep.<ref>Shane, “Ex-Banker Ordered to Return to Russia.”</ref> Khodorkovsky, former CEO of the Yukos oil conglomeration was, at the time of his arrest, the 16th wealthiest person in the world and the first wealthiest in Russia. <ref> See http://www.russiaprofile.org/resources/whoiswho/alphabet/K/khodorkovsky.wbp.</ref> Experts called the arrest political revenge for Khodorkovsky's financing of political parties opposed to Russian President ].<ref>Shane, “Ex-Banker Ordered to Return to Russia.”</ref>
He and his first wife established the Internet firms ] (an advertising agency), Publicity Guaranteed (a public relations firm),<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff|url=http://www.sramanamitra.com/2009/07/08/publicityguaranteed|title=Deal Radar 2009: Publicity Guaranteed|publisher=Sramana Mitra|date=2009-07-08|access-date=2010-12-28}}</ref> and The Syndicated News, an online marketplace.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intuic.com/about%20us|title=About Us|publisher=Intuic|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122044046/http://www.intuic.com/about%20us|archive-date=2010-11-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2004, Konanykhin was named "New York Businessman of the Year" by the ].<ref>Al Kamen, "In the Loop", ''The Washington Post'', February 13, 2004, page A25.</ref>
Threatened with imminent deportation, Konanykhin and Gratcheva fled to the Canadian border. There, on December 18, 2003, they were ambushed by a dozen ] agents at the Peace Bridge.<ref>Farah, Douglas, “Couple Tied to Putin Foes, Fights Deportation,” Washington Post, January 9, 2004.</ref> Konanykhin and Gratcheva were saved from deportation at the last minute by a series of dramatic emergency hearings in Federal Court. Then on January 26, 2004 Judge T. S. Ellis III delivered his ruling, which found the arrest unlawful, and allowed the couple to stay in the United States temporarily, until appeals on their immigration case were exhausted.<ref>Marken, Jerry, “Deportation Threat Lifted, Decisions Allow Russian to Stay in U.S. Indefinitely,” Washington Post, January 30, 2004.</ref> For the second time the DOJ was ordered to pay compensation to Konanykhin for unlawful arrest. Then on September 18, 2007 in a federal courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia, Konanykhin was granted asylum for the second time.<ref>“Konanykhin Granted Political Refugee Status.”</ref>


His firm, KMGi established a subsidiary, WikiExperts.us, a business centered around creating Misplaced Pages articles for companies.<ref name="economist1">{{cite news|title=The promise and perils of crowdsourcing content|url=http://www.economist.com/node/17911276|newspaper=]|publisher=The Economist Newspaper Ltd.|location=London, UK|date=2011-01-13|access-date=2011-01-26|quote=Alex Konanykhin of WikiExperts...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120061656/http://www.economist.com/node/17911276|archive-date=January 20, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Paid editing of Misplaced Pages has sparked considerable debate due to conflicts of interest.<ref name="kohschronicle">{{cite web|title=Misplaced Pages Blocks a Pay-for-Play Scheme|url=http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/wikipedia-blocks-a-pay-for-play-scheme/2796|last=Read|first=Brock|date=2007-01-24|publisher=Chronicle.com|access-date=2012-02-12}}</ref> Konanykhin has called for a boycott of Misplaced Pages fundraising campaigns, "We believe that boycotting fundraising efforts of Misplaced Pages might compel it to raise billions via advertising and develop content of significantly better quality."<ref name=boycott>{{cite news|last=MarketWatch|author-link=MarketWatch|title=Misplaced Pages Experts Call for No Donations to Misplaced Pages|url=http://www.wikiexperts.us/en/news/view/4|access-date=October 11, 2013|date=March 1, 2011}} reprinted on wikiexperts.us</ref> His company WikiExperts.us, which offers editing services on Misplaced Pages, was ] from editing on the online encyclopedia on October 17, 2013.<ref>See]</ref>
In recent years Konanykhin has been an outspoken critic in the media of Vladimir Putin’s administration concerning the radiological poisoning of Alexandre ], the former Russian State Security officer who went on to become a Russian dissident and writer before his assassination in 2006.<ref>See “Poisoning Puts Business with Russia Under a Cloud,” The Guardian, November 29, 1960; and Shane, Scott, “Spy Wars,” The New York Times, December 10, 2006. </ref>


In 2011 Konanykhin was named the winner of the WW IT Visionary Award by ''CIO Magazine'' (in Spanish: ''WW IT Visionary 2011 de CIO America Latina'').<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cioal.com/2011/10/24/alex-konanykhin-ww-it-visionary-cio-america-latina|title=Alex Konanykhin – WW IT Visionary 2011|author=Marcelo Lozano|date=October 24, 2011|magazine=CIO Magazine}}</ref> In 2011 Konanykhin's firm KMGi founded TransparentBusiness,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=KMGI control software presents the use of work time|date=February 23, 2012|magazine=]}}</ref> which allows employers or clients to monitor the activity of those working for them on computers.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-employers-go-it-alone-in-push-to-help-refugees-1486479600 |newspaper= Wall Street Journal |title=Big Employers Go It Alone in Push to Help Refugees |author=Kelsey Gee |date= February 7, 2017}}</ref> As of 2017 the software was in use in 98 countries.<ref name="Garicichina">{{cite news |url=http://www.russiantimemagazine.com/2017/06/10/alex-konanykhin-kgb-most-wanted-makes-it-big-in-the-tech-world/ |work=Russian Time |date=June 10, 2017 |author=Olga Garicichina |title=Alex Konanykhin – KGB most wanted makes it big in the tech world}}</ref> In 2018, Konanykhin began working with legislators in states including Rhode Island in order to introduce bills such as H-7788 and S-2660 to try to mandate government contractors to verify the hours they billed to the government.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.golocalprov.com/live/Saving-RI-Tens-of-Millions-of-Dollars-Through-Transparency-is-Goal-of-Leg |title=Saving RI "Tens of Millions of Dollars" Through Transparency is Goal of Legislation|date=June 9, 2018|publisher=Go Local Providence}}</ref> He also worked with the New Jersey State Assembly on draft bill NJ A3989, in addition with other states such as Missouri, Illinois, and Minnesota, with twenty-two states having proposed bills for billing verification as of February 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/13/work_verification_accountability_bills/|title=If you want a vision of the future, imagine not a boot stamping on a face, but keystroke logging on govt contractors' PCs |author=Thomas Claburn |website=The Register |date=February 13, 2019}}</ref> In 2018 the company opened a $10 million 506(c) offering for a ten percent stake, following a $1.5 million early investment round.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russian Software Entrepreneur Draws Backing Through Specialty Offering |author=Steve Gelsi |date=October 26, 2018 |publisher=]|url=https://pipeline.thedeal.com/article/14759303/index.dl}}</ref> In 2019 Konanykhin appeared on the '']'' "New York Tech Power 50" list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/special-list/power-list/new-york-tech-power-50-continued.html|date=February 10, 2019|title=The New York Tech Power 50|publisher=City and State|access-date=February 19, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220063238/https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/special-list/power-list/new-york-tech-power-50-continued.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2005 Konanykhin founded The Syndicated News, Inc., an Internet-based news syndicate.<ref>See http://TheSyndicatedNews.com.</ref>


==''Unicorn Hunters''==
== References ==
In 2021 Konanykhin became one of seven entrepreneurs to form the "Circle of Money" on the streaming television series ''Unicorn Hunters''. The television panel also includes ], ], ], ], Scott Livingston, and ]. According to ''Real Screen'' the show intends to, "show mixes entertainment with the potential for consumers to back select pre-IPO investment opportunities, thereby democratizing wealth creation."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://realscreen.com/2021/04/09/the-masked-singer-producer-smart-dog-media-preps-unicorn-hunters/|title="The Masked Singer" producer Smart Dog Media preps "Unicorn Hunters" |date=April 9, 2021 |publisher=Real Screen}}</ref> The show streamed on ],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.axios.com/amazon-hollywoods-silicon-valley-unicorn-startup-9440431b-4e37-413b-8f91-aebfbcca9ae8.html |date=May 12, 2021 |title=Hollywood's latest take on Silicon Valley: "Unicorn Hunters" |publisher=Axios |author=Kia Kokalitcheva}}</ref> in addition to other platforms.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/371547 |publisher=Entrepreneur |title=This TV Show Featuring Steve Wozniak Can Help You Become a Better Investor |date=May 10, 2010 |access-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510200641/https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/371547 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While the seven investors represented on the panel choose to invest or not as prospective companies pitch their businesses, viewers of the show are also able to invest their own funds in the businesses featured.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/12/tech/unicorn-hunters-show/index.html |title=Reality show 'Unicorn Hunters' is looking for the next $1 billion company |author=Samantha Murphy Kelly |publisher=CNN |date=May 12, 2021}}</ref>


===Unicoin===
{{Reflist}}
The company behind the television show released the cryptocurrency unicoin in February 2022. According to fellow founder ], the coin is tied to the financial results of the companies that the Unicorn Hunters and the show’s viewers have invested in, making it an asset backed cryptocurrency.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fortune.com/2022/03/07/steve-wozniak-calls-bitcoin-pure-gold-mathematics-crypto-nfts/ | title=Steve Wozniak believes Bitcoin is 'pure-gold mathematics' }}</ref> When investing with unicoin, investors won’t own a stake in the companies themselves, but unicoin will hold the stake, allowing for it to increase in value with the value of the investment. Soon after its founding it became considered a securities token by the SEC. $25 million in unicoins had been sold by May 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2022/05/22/brave-souls-unicorn-crypto-project-ties-value-to-equity-in-emerging-growth-companies/?sh=f6a4eb519e56 | title=Brave Souls: 'Unicorn' Crypto Project Ties Value to Equity in Emerging Growth Companies | website=] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/16/steve-wozniaks-best-investing-tips-hes-skeptical-of-most-crypto.html | title=Steve Wozniak's best investing tips – and why he's 'very skeptical' of most cryptocurrencies | website=] | date=16 March 2022 }}</ref>


==Bounty on Putin's head==
On March 1, 2022, shortly after the ], Konanykhin announced on social media that he was offering a $1 million bounty for the arrest of ] with the text "Wanted: Dead or Alive. Vladimir Putin for mass murder".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-02 |title="Wanted: Dead or Alive": Russian Tycoon Puts $1M Bounty on Putin's Head |url=https://www.newsweek.com/wanted-dead-alive-russian-tycoon-puts-1m-bounty-putins-head-1684337 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Desk |first=ZACHARY ROGERS {{!}} The National |date=2022-03-02 |title=Russian-born entrepreneur offers $1 million bounty for Putin's arrest |url=https://katv.com/news/nation-world/russian-entrepreneur-offers-1-million-bounty-for-putins-arrest-russia-vladimir-alex-konanykhin-ukraine |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=KATV}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-02 |title=$1 million bounty on Vladimir Putin's head offered by Russian businessman |url=https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2022/03/02/621fc50d22601d606a8b45ba.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=MARCA |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=$1 million bounty on Putin offered by Russian businessman |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/article-699098 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=2 March 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> Despite the wording of his online poster, Konanykhin subsequently re-iterated that he was not advocating assassination, but admitted that he would celebrate Putin's death.


==Published works==
* ''Defiance: How to Succeed in Business Despite Being Hounded by the FBI, the KGB, the INS, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, Interpol, and Mafia Hitmen'' Renaissance Publishing, 2006; {{ISBN|978-0-9727377-0-8}} <ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=14GlshWDnUkC|title=Defiance: How to Succeed in Business ...|isbn=9780972737708|access-date=2010-12-28|last1=Konanykhin|first1=Alex|year=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defiancethebook.com |title=Defiance, or: How to Succeed in Business While Being Targeted by the FBI, the KGB, the Department of Homeland Security, the INS and the Mafia Hit Men |publisher=Defiancethebook.com |access-date=2010-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202155131/http://defiancethebook.com/ |archive-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Personal life==
== External links ==
]'s book, ''The Hunted'' ({{ISBN|0-446-19559-6}}), is a novel based on the life of Alex Konanykhin and Elena Gratcheva. The book is dedicated to the late Gratcheva.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/huntedhaig00haig|url-access=registration|title=The Hunted|year=2009|via=]|publisher=Thorndike Press|isbn=9780446195591|access-date=2010-12-28}}</ref> In 2016 the '']'' reported that Konanykhin was moving to Canada due to the election of ].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2016/11/09/trumps-vague-plans-could-reverberate-tech/93541394 |newspaper= USA Today |date=November 8, 2016 |title=Trump's vague plans could reverberate in tech |author=John Swartz}}</ref> On February 27, 2022, Konanykhin promised in a Facebook post to pay a $1,000,000 bounty for the arrest of ] for war crimes. The site removed his post later on.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158124190715286&id=637610285 {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref>
*

*
==See also==
*
* ]
*

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=11616|title=Ex-Menatep Banker Faces Deportation|newspaper=]|date=2003-11-25|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329063019/http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=11616 |archive-date=March 29, 2012}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/us-judge-rules-konanykhin-can-stay-for-now/233321.html|title=U.S. Judge Rules Konanykhin Can Stay, For Now|newspaper=]|date=2004-01-28|access-date=2010-12-28}}
*{{cite web|url=http://feedroom.businessweek.com/?fr_story=ef31ff35691119f4ee854f191c18dc6c8656501e|title=Escape from the KGB and FBI|publisher=Feedroom.businessweek.com|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708004304/http://feedroom.businessweek.com/?fr_story=ef31ff35691119f4ee854f191c18dc6c8656501e|archive-date=2012-07-08|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|author=|url=http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/27-11-2003/4184-oligarch-0|title=The USA is going to send the former financier of President Boris Yeltsin back to Russia|publisher=English pravda.ru|date=2003-11-27|access-date=2010-12-28}}
*{{cite web|url=http://franchiseinrussia.com/153/doing-business-with-russia|title=Doing Business With Russia|publisher=Franchise in Russia|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711022404/http://franchiseinrussia.com/153/doing-business-with-russia/|archive-date=2011-07-11|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.ru/business/article/konanykhin-hearing-begins/233592.html|title=Konanykhin Hearing Begins|publisher=Themoscowtimes.ru|date=2004-01-15|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-date=2013-05-04|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130504125008/http://www.themoscowtimes.ru/business/article/konanykhin-hearing-begins/233592.html|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-89993752.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105070147/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-89993752.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-11-05|title=U.S. Judge Rules Konanykhin Can Stay, For Now |newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2004-01-28|access-date=2010-12-28}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/us-rethinks-konanykhin-case/233260.html|title=U.S. Rethinks Konanykhin Case|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2004-01-29|access-date=2010-12-28}}
*{{cite web|author=|url=http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/crimes/13-01-2004/4570-konanykhin-2|title=US authorities arrested Khodorkovsky's former partner|publisher=English pravda.ru|date=2004-01-13|access-date=2010-12-28}}
*{{cite web|author=Jeff Sanford|url=http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20070604_85461_85461|title=Geopolitics: The new Cold War|publisher=Canadianbusiness.com|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827224726/http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20070604_85461_85461|archive-date=2007-08-27|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite news|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/konanykhin-finds-no-freedom-in-us/233536.html|title=Konanykhin Finds No Freedom in U.S.|newspaper=The Moscow Times|date=2004-01-19|access-date=2010-12-28}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2004/01/28/immigration-panel-backs-off-effort-to-deport-russian-banker/|title=Immigration panel backs off effort to deport Russian banker|publisher=Articles.baltimoresun.com|date=2004-01-28|access-date=2010-12-28|archive-date=2012-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913043009/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-01-28/news/0401280158_1_russian-justice-khodorkovsky-asylum|url-status=live}}

{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 17:37, 29 October 2024

Entrepreneur and former banker
Alex Konanykhin
Александр Павлович Конаныхин
Born (1966-09-25) September 25, 1966 (age 58)
Ostashkov, USSR
CitizenshipRussia, Italy, and Argentina
Occupation(s)KMGi, TransparentBusiness
Known forEntrepreneur, former banker
Awards2004 New York Businessman of the Year, Republican National Committee
2011 WW IT Visionary Award from CIO Magazine

Alex Konanykhin (born Alexander Pavlovich Konanykhin (Russian: Александр Павлович Конаныхин) September 25, 1966) is an entrepreneur and former banker. He started his career by founding a private bank in Russia towards the end of communist rule. Konanykhin is sometimes spelled as Konanykhine.

Konanykhin and his wife left Russia in 1992, and seven years later were granted political asylum in the United States. The asylum grants were reversed in 2004, but reinstated in 2007. He spent his business career largely in the United States, being a citizen of Italy, Russia, and Argentina. He has founded companies including KMGi Group and TransparentBusiness.

Early life

Konanykhin studied at the Department of Space Research at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology to pursue a career in engineering. In 1986, he was expelled from MIPT for running a small business during his summer vacation. After his expulsion, he took advantage of the loosening business climate during Mikhail Gorbachev's economic reforms (perestroika). Within a few years, he became the head of a $30 million construction enterprise.

Career in Russia

In 1991, Konanykhin was the founder, co-owner, and President of the Russian Exchange Bank, which became the first institution to receive a currency-trading license from the Yeltsin government. In 1992, he was one of the delegates to accompany Yeltsin to Washington, D.C., where they met with President George H. W. Bush, and afterwards, in Canada with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Richard Sakwa named him the wealthiest person in Russia at that time, with an estimated $300 million in net worth. He had developed about 100 different companies within Russia by this time, when he was twenty-five years old.

In 1992 he was kidnapped while on a business trip to Budapest, during which time his business assets in Russia were seized. This account is according to Alex himself. Russian sources have a different account of events, based on a US court case. Konanykhin claims he fled to New York where he delivered protest letters to senior Moscow officials and members of the press warning of the looming "mafiocracy". This prompted an investigation by the Moscow-based military prosecutor's office, and Konanykhin soon found himself under investigation. The prosecutor, Alexander Volvodez, now charged Konanykhin with illegally wiring $8.1 million from the Russian Exchange Bank to overseas accounts, and many other crimes, and demanded his extradition to Russia. All charges were later dropped.

As hearings in American federal court would later show, during this time the FBI had opened a division in Moscow; because American prosecutors and FBI officials were anxious to develop a relationship with Russian law enforcement officials, they had agreed to assist Volvodez in his request for Konanykhin's deportation. However, as Russia and the United States do not have an extradition treaty, Justice Department officials agreed to try to deport him for violating immigration laws under a minor visa violation. The allegation was later proven false and dismissed during Konanykhin's first grant of asylum in 1999.

First immigration trial

On June 27, 1996, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) agents along with Russian federal prosecutors arrested Konanykhin and his wife, Elena Gratcheva, at their Watergate apartment in Washington, D.C. The couple was taken to Arlington County, and charged in federal immigration court with violating the conditions of their temporary U.S. visas. Between July 19 and August 2, 1996, hearings were held by Judge John M. Bryant to determine if, as Konanykhin claimed, his deportation was being masterminded by Russian prosecutor Volvodez for political reasons, and if Konanykhin's life and/or freedom were in danger. The trial touched upon issues as to whether the secret police had taken over the Russian banking industry, and also if the United States government had been fooled into going after Konanykhin.

In court Konanykhin testified he was being targeted by Volvodez and the Russian government because of his anti-corruption campaign, and his lawyers argued that he had transferred money to private accounts to prevent it from being stolen. Appearing as witnesses at the trial were FBI agents who testified that the Russian mafia had previously taken out a contract on Konanykhin's life. Also appearing were former INS prosecutor, Antoinette Rizzi, who had previously been in charge of the government's case against Konanykhin, and former KGB agent Yuri Shvets. Both Rizzi and Shvets testified that they had serious doubts about the charges filed against Konanykhin by Volvodez and the American government.

On August 26, 1997, in federal court in Arlington County, a settlement agreement was reached between Konanykhin, who had spent more than 13 months in INS custody, although Gratcheva had been released on supervision, and the District Director of the Arlington INS District Office, and endorsed by District Judge T. S. Ellis III. Judge Ellis stated that he found the testimonies of Yuri Shvets and Antoinette Rizzi in Konanykhin's immigration case "credible and somewhat disturbing". ordered the INS to pay $100,000 of Konanykhin's legal fees to pro bono counsel at Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn. The settlement also ordered Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Spencer to confirm within 30 days that there would be an internal probe by the Department of Justice into the conduct of INS lawyers at the hearing.

Libel lawsuits and political asylum

In a lawsuit filed in February 1997 with the Arlington County Circuit Court, Konanykhin alleged defamation against the daily Russian newspaper Izvestia which had reported that Konanykhin was involved in various criminal acts. The suit claimed that the information was erroneous and published with "reckless disregard for its truth or actual malice." An Arlington County Circuit Court jury recommended Konanykhin be awarded $33.5 million. Soon thereafter the same court awarded him an additional $3 million in a libel case against the Russian financial journal Kommersant. According to The Sunday Times, in 2010 the amount remained the largest amount ever awarded to an individual in a libel suit.

On February 23, 1999, Judge Bryant granted political asylum to Konanykhin and Gratcheva, saying the former banker faced persecution and possible death if returned to Russia to face embezzlement charges. In his decision, Bryant wrote that testimony from several experts had convinced him that Konanykhin was being targeted for prosecution for political reasons.

Temporarily freed from his trials with the Russian and American governments, Konanykhin and Gratcheva went on to develop a $100 million Internet startup in New York called KMGi, among other businesses. On November 20, 2003, however, the Board of Immigration Appeals revoked Konanykhin's political asylum and ordered him returned to Russia. The ruling came less than a month (October 25, 2003) after the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Konanykhin's former banking rival in Russia and business partner during his exile. Konanykhin had served as vice president for the international development of Khodorkovsky's bank, Menatep.

Second immigration trial

Konanykhin and Gratcheva fled to the Canada–United States border to evade immigration authorities. There, on December 18, 2003, they were arrested by several Department of Homeland Security agents at the Peace Bridge. Konanykhin and Gratcheva were saved from deportation at the last minute by a series of emergency hearings in Federal Court. On January 26, 2004, Judge Ellis delivered his ruling, which found the arrest unlawful, and allowed the couple to stay in the United States temporarily until appeals in their immigration case were exhausted.

For the second time the Department of Justice was ordered to pay compensation to Konanykhin for unlawful arrest. In 2005, all charges against him in Russia were dropped.

On September 18, 2007, in a federal courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia, Konanykhin was granted asylum for the second time.

Career in America

He and his first wife established the Internet firms KMGi (an advertising agency), Publicity Guaranteed (a public relations firm), and The Syndicated News, an online marketplace. In 2004, Konanykhin was named "New York Businessman of the Year" by the Republican National Committee.

His firm, KMGi established a subsidiary, WikiExperts.us, a business centered around creating Misplaced Pages articles for companies. Paid editing of Misplaced Pages has sparked considerable debate due to conflicts of interest. Konanykhin has called for a boycott of Misplaced Pages fundraising campaigns, "We believe that boycotting fundraising efforts of Misplaced Pages might compel it to raise billions via advertising and develop content of significantly better quality." His company WikiExperts.us, which offers editing services on Misplaced Pages, was banned from editing on the online encyclopedia on October 17, 2013.

In 2011 Konanykhin was named the winner of the WW IT Visionary Award by CIO Magazine (in Spanish: WW IT Visionary 2011 de CIO America Latina). In 2011 Konanykhin's firm KMGi founded TransparentBusiness, which allows employers or clients to monitor the activity of those working for them on computers. As of 2017 the software was in use in 98 countries. In 2018, Konanykhin began working with legislators in states including Rhode Island in order to introduce bills such as H-7788 and S-2660 to try to mandate government contractors to verify the hours they billed to the government. He also worked with the New Jersey State Assembly on draft bill NJ A3989, in addition with other states such as Missouri, Illinois, and Minnesota, with twenty-two states having proposed bills for billing verification as of February 2019. In 2018 the company opened a $10 million 506(c) offering for a ten percent stake, following a $1.5 million early investment round. In 2019 Konanykhin appeared on the City & State "New York Tech Power 50" list.

Unicorn Hunters

In 2021 Konanykhin became one of seven entrepreneurs to form the "Circle of Money" on the streaming television series Unicorn Hunters. The television panel also includes Steve Wozniak, Lance Bass, Rosa Gumataotao Rios, Moises Vela, Scott Livingston, and Silvina Moschini. According to Real Screen the show intends to, "show mixes entertainment with the potential for consumers to back select pre-IPO investment opportunities, thereby democratizing wealth creation." The show streamed on Amazon Prime, in addition to other platforms. While the seven investors represented on the panel choose to invest or not as prospective companies pitch their businesses, viewers of the show are also able to invest their own funds in the businesses featured.

Unicoin

The company behind the television show released the cryptocurrency unicoin in February 2022. According to fellow founder Steve Wozniak, the coin is tied to the financial results of the companies that the Unicorn Hunters and the show’s viewers have invested in, making it an asset backed cryptocurrency. When investing with unicoin, investors won’t own a stake in the companies themselves, but unicoin will hold the stake, allowing for it to increase in value with the value of the investment. Soon after its founding it became considered a securities token by the SEC. $25 million in unicoins had been sold by May 2022.

Bounty on Putin's head

On March 1, 2022, shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Konanykhin announced on social media that he was offering a $1 million bounty for the arrest of Vladimir Putin with the text "Wanted: Dead or Alive. Vladimir Putin for mass murder". Despite the wording of his online poster, Konanykhin subsequently re-iterated that he was not advocating assassination, but admitted that he would celebrate Putin's death.

Published works

  • Defiance: How to Succeed in Business Despite Being Hounded by the FBI, the KGB, the INS, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, Interpol, and Mafia Hitmen Renaissance Publishing, 2006; ISBN 978-0-9727377-0-8

Personal life

Brian Haig's book, The Hunted (ISBN 0-446-19559-6), is a novel based on the life of Alex Konanykhin and Elena Gratcheva. The book is dedicated to the late Gratcheva. In 2016 the USA Today reported that Konanykhin was moving to Canada due to the election of Donald Trump. On February 27, 2022, Konanykhin promised in a Facebook post to pay a $1,000,000 bounty for the arrest of Vladimir Putin for war crimes. The site removed his post later on.

See also

Notes

  1. Yuri Shvets allegedly provided assistance during this 1996 INS investigation.

References

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