Feds Detain Former Russian Olympic Official in South Florida
Real estate developer Akhmed Bilalov had fled his country after facing abuse-of-office charges in connection to his work as chairman of a state company that was building ski resorts in southern Russia.
October 24, 2019 at 02:01 PM
3 minute read
A former Russian Olympic Committee official who claimed his office was poisoned after being criticized by Russian President Vladimir Putin over preparations for the 2014 Winter Games has been arrested in Florida for an alleged immigration violation.
Real estate developer Akhmed Bilalov, 48, had fled his country after facing abuse of office charges in connection to his work as chairman of a state company that was building ski resorts in southern Russia.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Tammy Spicer announced Wednesday that Bilalov was arrested at his condo in Sunny Isles Beach on Tuesday. He was taken to the Krome detention facility in Miami to face deportation and remained in custody Wednesday.
The agency's statement says Bilalov had arrived in the United States for a temporary stay on May 2, 2016, but "failed to depart in accordance with the terms of his admission."
The Miami Herald first reported the story and said Bilalov had been living in Florida with his wife and newborn in an upscale suburb of Miami Beach, nicknamed "Little Moscow" for its number of Russian emigres. ICE's records don't list defense attorneys, and it wasn't immediately clear who may be representing the real estate tycoon.
Bilalov was a rising star in Russian business and sports circles until his sudden downfall in February 2013, when Putin publicly disgraced him for delays and cost overruns during his tenure overseeing a ski jump complex being built for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Soon after, Bilalov resigned as a vice president of the Russian Olympic Committee. Two months later, Russian prosecutors opened a criminal case against him in connection with alleged misuse of funds intended for developing tourism resorts and overclaiming expenses for a visit to the 2012 Olympics in London.
Russian state news agencies reported Wednesday that the case against Bilalov remained open and that he was on a wanted list.
Facing up to four years in prison if convicted, Bilalov left Russia for Germany, where he alleged that doctors found elevated levels of mercury in his blood. In comments to the Russian news agency Interfax, Bilalov claimed his Moscow office had been contaminated.
Before his downfall, Bilalov also led the Russian Golf Federation and had a seat on the International Olympic Committee's marketing commission in 2011 and 2012.
Adriana Gomez Licon reports for the Associated Press. Associated Press sports writer James Ellingworth contributed to this report from Duesseldorf, Germany.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllLSU General Counsel Quits Amid Fracas Over First Amendment Rights of Law Professor
7 minute readLawyers' Phones Are Ringing: What Should Employers Do If ICE Raids Their Business?
6 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Special Section: 2025 Real Estate Trends
- 2Snap Paid $63M in Fees to 2 Am Law 200 Firms in '24
- 3Lawyers Across Political Spectrum Launch Public Interest Team to Litigate Against Antisemitism
- 4Jones Day Names New Practice Leaders for Antitrust, Business and Tort Litigation and Latin America
- 5Russia’s Legal Sector Is Changing As Sanctions Take Their Toll
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250