MOSCOW, October 30 - RAPSI. US prosecutors have submitted a recommendation to the US District Court for the Central District of California to sentence Sergei Bugayev to 2.5 years in prison for his involvement in large-scale fraud.

The US claims that Bugayev was involved in large-scale fraud, which resulted in $5 million being stolen from over 100 bank accounts. The funds were allegedly transferred to bank accounts in Europe that had been opened using fake IDs, from which they were subsequently withdrawn.

The fraud victims were individuals who transferred funds to buy cars, motorcycles and boats after reading fake announcements on the Internet on such popular sites as eBay, Craigslist and YahooAuto.

Apart from Bugayev, five other people have been involved in the case, including Russians Yulia Mishina-Heffron and Marina Talashkova.

Talashkova, 24, was arrested in mid-January upon the US request. In April, a Toronto court extended her detention on charges of complicity in fraud, while the US asked for her extradition.

The case materials are in a Nevada court and the US authorities have filed an extradition request.

She remains behind bars. Earlier, her lawyer Tyler Hodgson told RAPSI that he plans to file a motion to have her released on bail until her extradition request is heard.
According to Kiykov, the motion was considered, but the court set extremely tough requirements and the defense was not able to meet bail.

Mishina-Heffron pleaded guilty and made a deal with investigators. She faces six years in prison. Her sentence will be announced in December.

Bugayev's sentence will be announced on November 19. The US authorities insist on sentencing him to 2.5 years in prison and obligating him to pay damages worth $325,500 to victims.