A Brighton Beach-connected international money launderer — who worked under the European equivalent of John Gotti — counts ranking New York politicians among his friends.
A trio of powerhouse politicos is coming to the aid of Nikolai Dozortsev: state Sen. Carl Kruger, Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, and even Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. The elected officials all sent letters on his behalf to the Brooklyn federal court judge who will sentence Dozortsev later this week.
Dozortsev – a twice-convicted felon with a criminal career spanning two decades – was the money man for a violent organized crime syndicate. The group’s illegal activities in the U.S. and Europe easily exceeded $50 million a year, officials say.
He worked alongside the legendary European mob boss Ricardo Fanchini, and faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced.
But Brook-Krasny calls Dozortsev a man "of integrity and strong moral fiber" in a letter written on Assembly letterhead and addressed to the judge presiding over the case.
"I would consider [Dozortsev] a valuable member of our society" whose "many accomplishments and positive contributions to the community should be taken into consideration when assessing the matter at hand," the Brighton Beach politician wrote.
His spokeswoman, Kate Cucco, claimed the assemblyman "would never knowingly use his office or position to influence a judicial matter," and bizarrely explained that she suspects the letter represents "staff wrongdoing."
Kruger, another Brighton pol, who sits on the state Senate’s Crime Victims and Crime and Corrections committees, urged Judge Frederic Block to kindly "take under consideration" the assistance Dozortsev and his family has given to other immigrants from Russia settling in New York.
A Kruger spokeswoman claimed the plea for leniency "was a generic form letter written for constituents," despite the specific references in it. She did not know how many "constituent letters" the legislator has written on behalf of convicted felons.
Markowitz wrote Block a letter praising the character of Dozortsev’s parents and explaining that although he had never met "Nick," he hopes their qualities had been passed on to him.
Dozortsev’s parents live in Brighton Beach. His dad, Eugene, founded a liquor import-export firm after emigrating from the Ukraine during Soviet rule.
Markowitz’s office did not immediately return a call for comment.
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