A divorce battle, an alleged assassination plot and the FBI all part of bizarre case
What do an angered father-in-law, hitmen, the FBI and life insurance have in common? The answer is that they are all part of an eye-catching case involving Oleg Mitnik, a shipping executive.
At the centre of the story is a divorce battle between Mitnik and his estranged wife Ronit Potik Mitnik. The two are battling to win custody of their teenage children at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York.
Sounds like a fairly usual story so far? Well indeed it is: except for the fact that security at the court has been ramped up because of a serious of bizarre events that have preceded the case.
That’s because there are three characters in this $20million divorce case – the third being Anatoly Potik, the father of Ronit. He was said to be infuriated over Mitnik’s apparent attempts to take his wife’s name off as a beneficiary on his life insurance policy, reported to be worth millions of dollars.
According to a story in the New York Post, Potnik had arranged for Boris Nayfeld, an associate, and Boris Kotlyarsky, a partner, to kill Mitnik. However, allegedly the duo met with Mitnik and told him about the plot devised by his father-in-law. They then offered to spare his life on the condition he paid them $125,000.
Mitnik, in an effort to save his life, agreed to the terms and handed over $50,000 in the way of a downpayment: before turning to the FBI.
The report also quotes Mitnik as stating “there are more charges coming,” hinting that other people may be implicated in the alleged murder plot.
As it stands now, Nayfeld and Kotlyarsky have been arrested on charges of extortion. Meanwhile, Potik has been charged with murder for hire. They are scheduled to meet in court in April.
At the centre of the story is a divorce battle between Mitnik and his estranged wife Ronit Potik Mitnik. The two are battling to win custody of their teenage children at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York.
Sounds like a fairly usual story so far? Well indeed it is: except for the fact that security at the court has been ramped up because of a serious of bizarre events that have preceded the case.
That’s because there are three characters in this $20million divorce case – the third being Anatoly Potik, the father of Ronit. He was said to be infuriated over Mitnik’s apparent attempts to take his wife’s name off as a beneficiary on his life insurance policy, reported to be worth millions of dollars.
According to a story in the New York Post, Potnik had arranged for Boris Nayfeld, an associate, and Boris Kotlyarsky, a partner, to kill Mitnik. However, allegedly the duo met with Mitnik and told him about the plot devised by his father-in-law. They then offered to spare his life on the condition he paid them $125,000.
Mitnik, in an effort to save his life, agreed to the terms and handed over $50,000 in the way of a downpayment: before turning to the FBI.
The report also quotes Mitnik as stating “there are more charges coming,” hinting that other people may be implicated in the alleged murder plot.
As it stands now, Nayfeld and Kotlyarsky have been arrested on charges of extortion. Meanwhile, Potik has been charged with murder for hire. They are scheduled to meet in court in April.
