Ihor Kolomoyskyy

A summary of what happened?

Major Concerns, Complaints, and Accusations Against Ihor Kolomoyskyi

1. PrivatBank Embezzlement Allegations: In 2016, PrivatBank was nationalized after regulators discovered a $5 billion shortfall in its finances. Kolomoyskyi, as a co-founder, was accused of orchestrating large-scale fraud by siphoning funds through sham loans and supply agreements between 2013 and 2014. He has consistently denied these allegations.
   Politico Europe
2. U.S. Sanctions and Entry Ban: In March 2021, the U.S. Department of State publicly designated Kolomoyskyi and his immediate family, barring them from entering the United States. This action was due to his alleged involvement in significant corruption during his tenure as governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which undermined democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine.
   U.S. Department of State
3. Fraud and Money Laundering Charges in Ukraine: On September 2, 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested Kolomoyskyi on charges of fraud and money laundering. He was accused of laundering $13.5 million between 2013 and 2020 by transferring funds abroad. Subsequently, additional charges were brought against him for allegedly embezzling 9.2 billion hryvnia (approximately $250 million) from PrivatBank using offshore companies.
   Wikipedia
4. Allegations of Contract Killing: While in detention, Kolomoyskyi was served with a notice of suspicion for allegedly ordering the contract killing of a law firm director in 2003. This accusation pertains to a corporate dispute over decisions at a metallurgical plant, where the targeted lawyer survived the attack.
   Reuters
5. Revocation of Ukrainian Citizenship: In July 2022, reports indicated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy moved to strip Kolomoyskyi of his Ukrainian citizenship due to his possession of Israeli and Cypriot passports, as Ukrainian law prohibits dual nationality.
   Politico Europe

Kolomoyskyi’s legal challenges are ongoing, with investigations and court proceedings continuing in both Ukraine and the United States. These cases are closely monitored as indicators of Ukraine’s commitment to combating corruption and enforcing the rule of law.

Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)

Our team collects and analyses fraudulent copyright takedown requests, legal complaints, and other efforts to remove critical information from the internet. Through our investigative reporting, we examine the prevalence and operation of an organized censorship industry, predominantly funded by criminal entities, oligarchs, and disreputable businesses or individuals. Our findings allow internet users to gain insight into these censorship schemes’ sources, methods, and underlying objectives.

What was Ihor Kolomoyskyy trying to hide?

Ihor Kolomoyskyy‘s attempts to hide unfavourable content through the misuse of copyright notices while allegedly engaging in perjury present serious legal concerns. These actions suggest a calculated attempt to manipulate legal systems to suppress free speech, a fundamental violation of copyright law principles and an abuse of legal processes. The use of such tactics not only undermines the integrity of copyright protection but also potentially constitutes perjury, further entangling Ihor Kolomoyskyy in legal accountability. Let’s examine the information Ihor Kolomoyskyy may be trying to remove from the internet –

Ihor Kolomoyskyi: A Deep Dive into Allegations, Controversies, and Legal Battles

Introduction

Ihor Kolomoyskyi, a Ukrainian billionaire, oligarch, and former governor, has long been a polarizing figure in Ukraine’s business and political arenas. Known for his vast wealth and influence, Kolomoyskyi’s name has become synonymous with controversy. From accusations of embezzlement and fraud to allegations of orchestrating violent crimes, his actions have drawn scrutiny from authorities worldwide. This investigation provides a comprehensive analysis of the accusations, lawsuits, and controversies that have defined Kolomoyskyi’s career.

Background and Rise to Prominence

Kolomoyskyi co-founded PrivatBank in 1992, which became Ukraine’s largest financial institution. Through strategic investments, he expanded his influence into sectors like energy, metallurgy, and media. His business empire, united under the Privat Group, wielded significant economic and political power in Ukraine. Between 2014 and 2015, he served as the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, playing a pivotal role in countering Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. However, his tenure also attracted accusations of corruption and abuse of power.

Major Allegations and Legal Challenges

1. PrivatBank Embezzlement Scandal

• Accusation: Kolomoyskyi, along with his business partner Gennadiy Bogolyubov, allegedly orchestrated a massive embezzlement scheme at PrivatBank. Reports suggest that $5.5 billion was funneled out of the bank through fraudulent loans issued to companies under their control.
• Outcome: In 2016, the Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank to prevent its collapse. The nationalization was accompanied by a forensic audit, revealing large-scale financial mismanagement. Kolomoyskyi denies wrongdoing and has been engaged in multiple legal battles with Ukrainian authorities and international courts over the issue.

2. U.S. Sanctions and Investigations

• Details: In March 2021, the U.S. Department of State sanctioned Kolomoyskyi and his family, citing significant corruption during his tenure as governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Concurrently, the FBI launched investigations into allegations of money laundering and fraud, focusing on how Kolomoyskyi used embezzled funds to purchase real estate in the U.S.
• Properties: Investigators allege that Kolomoyskyi laundered millions to acquire commercial real estate, including properties in Ohio, Texas, and Kentucky, some of which later fell into disrepair, adversely affecting local economies.

3. Fraud and Money Laundering in Ukraine

• Recent Developments: In September 2023, Kolomoyskyi was arrested in Ukraine on charges of fraud and money laundering. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) accused him of legalizing more than $13.5 million between 2013 and 2020 by transferring funds abroad using controlled banking institutions.
• Legal Status: A Kyiv court ordered his detention with bail set at nearly $14 million. Investigations are ongoing, and the charges signal a shift in Ukraine’s approach to holding oligarchs accountable.

4. Alleged Involvement in a Contract Killing

• Incident: In May 2024, Ukrainian authorities accused Kolomoyskyi of ordering the attempted contract killing of a lawyer in 2003. The dispute allegedly stemmed from a corporate disagreement involving a metallurgical plant. While the lawyer survived, the attack remains under investigation.
• Implications: This revelation has added to Kolomoyskyi’s growing list of legal woes and heightened public scrutiny.

Impact on Ukraine and the Global Stage

Economic Consequences

Kolomoyskyi’s actions, particularly the alleged embezzlement at PrivatBank, have had lasting repercussions for Ukraine’s economy. The government’s bailout of the bank, financed by taxpayers, was one of the largest in the country’s history. The fallout has also strained Ukraine’s relations with international financial institutions like the IMF, which has called for greater accountability in tackling corruption.

Geopolitical Ramifications

Kolomoyskyi’s influence extends beyond Ukraine. His media holdings and political ties have been accused of shaping Ukraine’s political landscape, including allegations of supporting populist candidates. Internationally, his alleged misuse of financial systems has underscored the need for stronger anti-money laundering measures.

Criticism and Public Perception

Kolomoyskyi’s business practices and political activities have drawn widespread criticism:

1. Lavish Lifestyle: His ownership of luxury assets, including the $70 million superyacht Trident, has fueled perceptions of excess and corruption.
2. Media Control: Critics argue that his media outlets have been used to manipulate public opinion and shield him from criticism.
3. Impact on Communities: In the U.S., abandoned properties tied to his alleged money laundering schemes have devastated local economies, leading to job losses and urban decay.

Conclusion

Ihor Kolomoyskyi’s story is emblematic of the intersection of wealth, power, and corruption in post-Soviet Ukraine. While his contributions to Ukraine’s defense during the 2014 conflict are acknowledged, his alleged financial crimes and abuse of power overshadow his achievements. The ongoing investigations and legal battles mark a critical juncture for Ukraine’s fight against corruption and its efforts to build a transparent and accountable society.

For Kolomoyskyi, the future remains uncertain. As legal proceedings unfold, his fate will serve as a litmus test for Ukraine’s judicial system and its commitment to reform. Internationally, the case underscores the importance of global cooperation in combating financial crimes and holding powerful individuals accountable.

How do we counteract this malpractice?

Once we ascertain the involvement of Ihor Kolomoyskyy (or actors working on behalf of Ihor Kolomoyskyy), we will inform Ihor Kolomoyskyy of our findings via Electronic Mail.

Our preliminary assessment suggests that Ihor Kolomoyskyy may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from Ihor Kolomoyskyy, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to Ihor Kolomoyskyy to provide details regarding their communications with the agency or expert, as well as the identification of the individual(s) responsible for executing these false DMCA notices.

Failure to respond in a timely manner will necessitate a reassessment of our initial assumptions. In such an event, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal action to rectify the unlawful conduct and take the following steps –

Since Ihor Kolomoyskyy made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and sensitive information targeted online by these events get a lot more exposure and traffic than what it would have received originally

We hope this becomes an excellent case study for the Streisand effect…The key idea behind the Streisand effect is that efforts to restrict information can backfire, often causing the information to gain more attention than it would have otherwise. This effect is widespread in the digital age, where users quickly notice and spread censorship efforts on social media and other platforms. Trying to suppress something can unintentionally lead to it becoming more visible, which Ihor Kolomoyskyy is finding out the hard way.

Potential Consequences for Ihor Kolomoyskyy

Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.

Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.

Additionally, under most laws, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defense.”  Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).

Is Ihor Kolomoyskyy Committing a Cyber Crime?

Yes, it seems so. Ihor Kolomoyskyy used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Google’s search results. Thanks to protections allowing freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few legal ways to do this. Ihor Kolomoyskyy could not eliminate negative reviews or search results that linked to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.

Faced with these limitations, some companies like Ihor Kolomoyskyy have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Ihor Kolomoyskyy is certainly keeping interesting company here….

The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.

Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.

Reputation Agency's Modus Operandi

The fake DMCA notices we found always use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.

Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original,” the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the ‘true’ original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original,” requesting the takedown of the ‘true’ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.

As an integral part of this scheme, the ‘reputation management’ company hired by Ihor Kolomoyskyy creates a website that purports to be a ‘news’ site. This site is designed to look legitimate at a glance, but any degree of scrutiny reveals it as the charade it is.

The company copies the ‘negative’ content and posts it “on the fake ‘news’ site, attributing it to a separate author,” then gives it “a false publication date on the ‘news’ website that predated the original publication.

The reputation company then sent Google a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice claiming the original website infringed copyright. After a cursory examination of the fake news site, Google frequently accepts the notice and delists the content.

In committing numerous offences, Ihor Kolomoyskyy either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about Ihor Kolomoyskyy, ignorance does not excuse this wrongdoing.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. FSMSmart is certainly keeping interesting company here.

The Reputation Laundering

Rogue Reputation agencies use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to allegations of tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking. Most of these reputation agencies are based offshore, mainly in Russia, India, and Eastern Europe, and they do not worry about complying with US-based laws.

The content in all of the articles for which the fraudulent DMCA notices have been sent relates to allegations of criminal allegations, including corruption, child abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking and financial fraud against businesses and individuals with ultra-high net worth.

In addition to the misuse of the DMCA takedown process, there is a notable absence of enforcement concerning perjury violations. The statutory requirement related to perjury is designed to deter copyright holders from submitting fraudulent or knowingly false takedown requests, as they may face legal consequences for making false declarations under penalty of perjury. However, to date, there have been no known instances of any individual being prosecuted for perjury in connection with the submission of false DMCA takedown notices.

This lack of enforcement has emboldened copyright holders to exploit the DMCA takedown process to suppress dissent, criticism, or other unfavorable content, without fear of legal repercussions.

Some of the people and businesses who have employed this tactic to remove legitimate content from Google illegally include a Spanish businessman-turned-cocaine-trafficker, Organised crime, an Israeli-Argentine banker accused of laundering money for Hugo Chávez’s regime, a French “responsible” mining company accused of tax evasion, child molesters and sexual predators. Ihor Kolomoyskyy is in great company ….

What else is Ihor Kolomoyskyy hiding?

We encourage you to ‘Dork‘ Google by searching for keyword combinations such as [Ihor Kolomoyskyy] + {Negative Keyword, such as Scam, Fraud, Complaints, Lawsuit, Sanction, etc} on Google. It’s likely if you scroll down to the bottom of this Google search results, you’ll stumble upon this Legal Takedown notice (pictured below)

To make such an investigation possible, we encourage more online service providers to come forward and share copies of content removal requests with industry experts and researchers. If you have any information on Ihor Kolomoyskyy that you want to share with experts and journalists, kindly email the author directly at [email protected].

All communications are strictly confidential and safeguarded under a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy, ensuring full protection and anonymity for individuals who provide information.