Kaslov-Evans family convicted in $4 million embezzlement scheme for fictitious New York fraud: Prosecutors

Believing he was rescuing a woman from the hands of a nefarious New York crime boss, a Maryland man quietly siphoned money and gold bars from his employer for three months in 2017.

But the “criminal boss” is said to be one of three sons accused of participating in a plot with their parents to appropriate more than $4 million with the help of one of his ex-wives. boy and a “New York woman” who were later married in an attempt to cover up their crimes.

The family spent the victim’s money on, among other things, a Rolex and a Rolls Royce, and their spending habits eventually displeased federal agents. When the family matriarch realized that the authorities knew about their scam, she went into survival mode — in the case of Candy Evans, that means jerry rigging a marriage ceremony. , wrote a public letter exonerating the family of all guilt and instructing everyone involved to lie to the FBI.

None of it works. On Tuesday, Evans and her husband, Archie Kaslov, were sentenced to prison for a sprawling extortion plot they masterminded, taking their three sons and ex-daughter-in-law with them.

It’s a classic story: A Maryland man meets a New York woman on the now-defunct advertising website Backpage. The woman, unnamed in a Justice Department press release, then targeted the man, also unidentified, for blackmail, allegedly conspiring with Evans, Kaslov and their parents to strangle a treasure trove of his cash and gold bars.

This man spent money, including millions of dollars stolen from his employer in Washington, DC between January and March 2017, at various places in New York, including hotel rooms. He allegedly thought he was giving back to the crowd on behalf of the New York woman.

“In fact,” a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said, “all of the money he embezzled and transferred to New York was passed on to members of the Evans family- Kaslov.”

The Evans-Kaslov family — consisting of sons Tony John Evans, Corry Blue Evans, Robert Evans, and Robert’s ex-wife Gina Russell — were ultimately indicted by a federal grand jury, along with their parents. in April 2018. It’s unclear from Tuesday’s filing if the New York woman was arrested or charged with the conspiracy.

However, before being arrested, this family lived in large numbers. Kaslov eventually admitted driving to New York’s diamond district and spending “tens of thousands of dollars in crime proceeds” on watches, including several Rolexes, according to the US District Attorney. In May 2017, Kaslov also took a trip to Texas, where he paid more than $300,000 in cash for a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead that he later sold, after being charged, in New Jersey for $120,000.

Evans, meanwhile, is upset about an ongoing federal investigation into her family’s dealings. She told both the Maryland man and the New York woman to lie to agents who wanted to interview them. When that didn’t stop the investigation, Evans told Gina Russell and the New York woman to get married.

They did. Evans later explained to investigators that she proposed the union because she believed married couples could not be forced to testify against each other. (This is partly true, but does not take into account testimony about pre-marital affairs.)

Evans then “gave more and more panic,” according to the Justice Department, “and wanted a letter clearing her, Kaslov, and their three sons from any involvement in the plot to get money from the man. Mr. Maryland.” She convinces Russell and the New York woman to sign a notarized handwritten confession that exonerates the Evans-Kaslovs.

But when federal agents closed the door, executing a search warrant on the family home in late 2017, Evans began throwing family members under the bus. In October, she told an FBI special agent about the case that Tony John Evans had carried out the blackmail plot, with the help of Russell and the New York woman. Evans, Kaslov and their two other sons are all innocent, she insisted. She later admitted it was wrong.

Only one of the Evans-Kaslov crew continues to protest his innocence. According to the Justice Department, Corry Blue Evans, 29, has pleaded not guilty to the charges still pending against him.

His brothers have all admitted responsibility for their parts in the scam. Tony, 33, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to interfering with interstate commerce by extortion in 2018. Robert, 34, is awaiting sentencing after making a plea. guilty on a similar charge last April.

Russell, 33, pleaded guilty to a similar charge of extortion in 2019, and is also awaiting sentencing. It is unclear if she is still married to a New York woman.

For her part, Evans will serve 12 months a day in prison after she pleaded guilty in September 2020 to witness tampering by persuasive persuasion or misleading conduct. Kaslov was sentenced to 30 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit electronic fraud. After that, both will be moved into supervised release mode for three years.

As part of their respective plea agreements, Evans and Kaslov will also at some point have to return their fraudulently deposited funds instead. Where will each get $4,217,542 is another question entirely.