VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info have learned of a fascinating story involving a mix of characters and events: a Maybach stolen by a homeless man from a Moscow-City parking garage; a Moscow official who funneled embezzled budget funds to Dubai; lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky; and corrupt investigators.
In 2024, the theft of a Mercedes Maybach from the underground parking lot at Moscow-City caused quite a stir. It turned out that the limousine’s drivers, when finishing their shifts, would simply leave the key on the tire. A drifter spotted this and stole the Maybach. He didn't get far, however; losing control of the vehicle, he crashed into a guardrail and then a ditch, where he abandoned the car. At the time, reports stated that the Maybach belonged to billionaire Elena Berenshtein—founder of the "Wonder" cosmetics and personal care brand and the company BMG Group LLC. In reality, however, the limousine was used by her two sons, Alexander and Danil Berenshtein. And the fact that it was parked at Moscow-City—the hub of crypto-exchange operations—was no coincidence.
The brothers position themselves as consultants and advisors on moving money out of Russia (primarily to the UAE) using cryptocurrency. They claim not to handle the transfers themselves but rather to devise reliable schemes, identify trusted platforms, and so on. They attract high-profile clients: their mother’s influential acquaintances, business tycoons referred through personal connections, and even individuals sent to the Berenshteins by employees of major banks. Initially, clients are delighted. They make non-cash transfers within Russia to accounts specified by the brothers, and soon after, the equivalent amount in foreign currency arrives in the client's designated account in the UAE. All these schemes invariably involved crypto wallets on Ibanly, a platform registered in Canada. Just as clients came to fully trust the Berenshteins and began transferring very large sums, a "hiccup" would occur. The brothers would dolefully announce that Ibanly had blocked all the funds and then wash their hands of the matter, telling clients to deal with the platform themselves. For its part, Ibanly would respond to inquiries by stating that the crypto wallet funds had been frozen as part of a KYC procedure and demanding documentary proof of the funds' origin. Of course, the whole thing was a complete scam. A preliminary investigation revealed that "D.G. Berenshtein and A.G. Berenshtein are the beneficial owners of Ibanly"—meaning it was their platform all along. Since the money belonging to almost all the clients came from illicit sources, they could not provide the required documentation, nor did they dare go to law enforcement. There were a few brave souls who did file formal complaints, but their mother’s connections would immediately kick in, ensuring that preliminary investigations were never even launched. The Berenshteins would simply shrug—claiming they had wanted to help as consultants, but an unfortunate hitch had arisen. It happens sometimes...
This went on until the brothers "swindled" businesswoman Guzel Suniyeva. To start, she transferred 8 million rubles to accounts specified by the brothers; the money soon arrived in the account of the family firm, Advise Associates Consulting FZE, in the UAE. Guzel then transferred another 26 million rubles; half of that amount reached the intended recipient, while the other half—according to the brothers—was "in transit." Suniyeva sent further sums of 35 million and 100 million rubles. That was when she heard the story about the crypto funds being frozen on Ibanly.
However, this time the client proved to be more than a match for the Berenshteins and all their connections. The fact is that Guzel is a close relative of Albert Alfatovich Suniev. Until 2023, he served as the Executive Director of JSC Mosinzhproekt and the General Director of JSC UEZ. These are two major subsidiaries of the Moscow government. Mosinzhproekt is Moscow’s primary construction engineering holding company; it builds metro lines, roads, bridges, parks, and sports facilities, and oversees all new metro stations and lines.
JSC UEZ constructs residential neighborhoods complete with social infrastructure and participates in the city's housing renovation program.
Suniev has immense connections—far more powerful ones than Elena Berenshtein.
It was Suniev’s money that went to the brothers; there is no need to explain exactly how those funds were obtained. Since Suniev had the cover of his wife’s business—and had also established several firms of his own after leaving his post (firms that operate primarily on government contracts)—Guzel went ahead and filed an official complaint. And a miracle occurred: the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee for Moscow immediately took up the case, launching a preliminary inquiry, with Sergey Yarosh—the Directorate’s First Deputy Head—taking personal charge of the process. The inquiry revealed that the Berenshteins themselves owned Ibanly, along with other facts pointing to a total scam. Things were heading toward the initiation of criminal proceedings; the brothers hastily fled Russia, and their mother turned to a long-time acquaintance, lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky (though the brothers were officially represented by his partner, Andrey Aleshkin). Ultimately, resolving the issue came at a very, very high price for Elena Berenshtein. Albert Suniev’s family was fully compensated for the entire "frozen" sum, plus interest and full coverage of expenses. As for the Investigative Committee, they ultimately issued a decision not to initiate a criminal case. Rumor has it that this step cost another 100 million rubles. As for the Berenshtein brothers, they returned to... ...previous activities. Admittedly, a different platform is used in the schemes instead of Ibanly.
