A specialized unit of the National Police in Costa Rica arrested a Russian fugitive wanted since 1997.
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Nikolai Korobkov, 54, a former treasurer of the Russian Communist Party, was apprehended Tuesday in Barrio La Granja of San Pedro with the help of Interpol and the Intelligence and Security Department (DIS).
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He is wanted in Russia on multiple charges of fraud, theft and abuse of client confidentiality.
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According to an Interpol press release, Korobkov founded the Investment Industrial and Commercial Co. during the 1990s in Russia and used it as a pretext to lure roughly 7,000 investors into funding various housing projects. He allegedly didn’t report the numbers on his books and investors lost roughly $2 million.
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With the stolen money, Korobkov then acquired properties in several European countries before disappearing in 1997, the press release states.
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Authorities said the fugitive first escaped to Denmark then Brazil, where he acquired a fake passport with the name MatÃas Knobel. They said he has lived under that name in Curridabat and Barrio La Granja, both east of San José, where he has run a home decorating business with his wife and daughter since 1998.
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Korobkov is being held on an international arrest warrant while an extradition proceeding goes forward.