Man Charged With Orchestrating $450 Million Stock Loan Scheme

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), James C. Barnacle, Jr., announced the unsealing of an Indictment charging VLADIMIR SKLAROV, a/k/a "Val Sklarov," a/k/a "Gregory Mitchell," a/k/a "Mark Simon Bentley," with charges relating to his orchestration of an elaborate stock-backed lending scheme that defrauded a victim of at least approximately $450 million in valuable company shares. SKLAROV was arrested in Chicago and presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman in the Northern District of Illinois on Monday, May 4, 2026. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in the Southern District of New York.

"As alleged, Vladimir Sklarov represented his company to be affiliated with, and have the financial backing of the famed New York Astor family in order to burnish his brand," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "That was a complete lie. Sklarov used false prestige to gain control of hundreds of millions of dollars in stock and then liquidated those shares for his own benefit. We urge investors in all sectors of the market to beware of fast talkers and smooth talkers who hide behind prestigious labels and cosmetic signs of wealth and access. And refer fraudsters, pretenders, and cheats to the SEC, FINRA, the FBI, and the DOJ. Our Office will continue to protect the integrity of the markets by pursuing bad actors who abuse trust and exploit others."

"Vladimir Sklarov allegedly betrayed a trusting victim to steal more than $450 million in company shares," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. "The FBI is committed to investigating fraudsters looking to selfishly profit."

As alleged in the Indictment:[1]

From at least in or about 2021, up to and including at least in or about 2024, SKLAROV operated an entity called Astor Asset Group ("Astor") that held itself out as a legitimate and experienced provider of stock-backed loans affiliated with the prominent Astor family. In reality, SKLAROV had no such affiliation, and instead ran a sham company designed to steal valuable stock through lies and misleading representations.

SKLAROV used Astor to defraud a victim ("Victim-1") of at least approximately $450 million through the operation of a purported stock-backed lending agreement ("SLA"). SKLAROV told several lies in order to induce Victim-1 to transfer valuable shares in a company owned by Victim-1 (the "Company Shares") as collateral for the loan, including that the loan would be funded with capital from the Astor family. Victim-1 received no such loan. Instead, soon after Victim-1 transferred the Company Shares, SKLAROV sold them; used some of the proceeds from the sale of Victim-1's own property to fund the purported loan; and kept the hundreds of millions of dollars in remaining proceeds for himself and other members of the conspiracy.

At all times during the scheme, SKLAROV hid and lied about his true identity and instead claimed to be "Gregory Mitchell," the "Managing Director" of Astor. Another individual acting at SKLAROV's direction ("CC-1") also used an alias and falsely claimed to be "Thomas Mellon," the "CEO" of Astor. SKLAROV and his co-conspirators falsely claimed that their sham company was "[o]riginally set up on the foundations of the wealth of John Jacob Astor" and that they had various high-profile clients, including prestigious universities and investment funds. In addition to lying about his own identity and the identity, history, and intentions of Astor, SKLAROV and other members of the scheme falsely represented that Victim-1's Company Shares would not be sold unless Victim-1 defaulted on the loan. Instead, shortly after liquidating Victim-1's Shares, SKLAROV directed the proceeds through a complex web of domestic and international accounts associated with him, his co-conspirators, and his family members.

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SKLAROV, 63, of Athens, Greece, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, all of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.

This case is being handled by the Office's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackie Delligatti and Shaun Werbelow are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.