Con Artist Charged with Stealing $450M from Mexican Billionaire
Prosecutors say he used a fake Astor connection to win trust, then sold the shares and kept hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Federal authorities arrested Vladimir Sklarov in Chicago on Saturday following a New York indictment charging him with defrauding a victim of $450 million through a stock-backed loan scheme from 2021 to 2024.
- Posing as 'Gregory Mitchell,' the "managing director" of Astor Asset Group, Sklarov falsely claimed affiliation with the wealthy Astor family to secure the victim's trust in the fraudulent loan scheme.
- Sklarov secured company shares worth at least $450 million from Salinas, then liquidated the assets for his own benefit and that of unnamed co-conspirators, federal prosecutors said.
- Currently held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, Sklarov faces a detention hearing on Friday following his transfer from the Southern District of New York.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that Sklarov is a "Ukrainian-born American and convicted fraudster" who previously served prison time, while Salinas Pliego admitted last year, "I feel like an absolute idiot.
55 Articles
55 Articles
Mexican Billionaire Thought He Was Dealing With America's Oldest Money Dynasty — Then Lost $450M
Billionaires usually practice due diligence, especially when it comes to making huge investments. Ricardo Salinas Pliego thought he was doing just that, believing he was actually transacting with America's oldest money dynasty – the Astor family. Unfortunately, it was not the case. It turns out that the Mexican billionaire got duped out of more than $450 million (£331 million) by a man who was initially identified as Gregory Mitchell. He passed …
Billionaire Duped in $450M Scheme: 'I Feel Like an Absolute Idiot'
A man with multiple aliases used the name of the famed Astor family to dupe a Mexican billionaire out of around $450 million in a bogus stock-backed loan scheme, according to a newly unsealed US indictment and other court records. Vladimir Sklarov, 63, set up a sham company, Astor Asset...
Man Charged With Stealing $450 Million From Mexican Billionaire in Loan Scheme Arrested in Chicago
Man Charged With Stealing $450 Million From Mexican Billionaire in Loan Scheme Arrested in Chicago Associated Press Wed, 05/06/2026 - 10:50 A man with multiple aliases used the name of the famed Astor family to dupe a Mexican billionaire out of around $450 million in a bogus stock-backed loan scheme, according to a newly unsealed U.S. indictment and other court records. Vladimir Sklarov, 63, also known as Gregory Mitchell and Mark Simon Bentley…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
