Strip club security guard and Iraq War vet allegedly planned $3 million kidnap/robbery of California marijuana barons
SAN FRANCISCO CA APRIL 14 2019 — Three Illinois residents have been implicated by the FBI in an alleged plot to commit a series of robberies in the Humboldt area, one alleged co-conspirator reportedly saying he was willing to kidnap a victim and make him suffer until he gave up the location of a $3 million stash.
It was a plot that reads something like a villainous heist movie, if the FBI’s contentions are true; a series of inside job robbery schemes, hatched in Illinois strip clubs, aimed at separating several million dollars from the stewards of massive marijuana fields across Northern California.
Three men, Emanoel Borisov, 28, Paul Brooks, 34, and Evgeni Kopankov, whose age is not listed, were charged in the plot, all facing a lone count of interference with commerce by threats of violence. If convicted they face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Borisov and Brooks — two former strip club security guards who were allegedly selected to carry out the robberies — were arrested after they arrived at San Francisco International Airport on April 3. Federal authorities say they planned to board a second flight and travel to the Eureka area, then kick things off with a $3 million heist.
Kopankov, and associate of the would-be victims, allegedly helped plan the robberies, and convinced one victims unnamed “Mexicans” were after him, so the victim wouldn’t suspect an insider robbery plot, according to the FBI.
The investigation started in late March, when a confidential informant told the FBI that Borisov — who the informant described as a “large Bulgarian male with numerous tattoos” — was plotting robberies with Brooks, described as a former U.S. Marine who served in the Iraq War. Both have worked at strip clubs in the Illinois area, authorities said.
Borisov used to work at marijuana fields, and Kpokankov was affiliated with growers who cultivate weed by the ton, according to the feds. The confidential informant said the robbers were targeting a cash shipment of up to $3 million.
After receiving the tip, federal authorities realized Kpokankov was already on their radar; in December he’d been a passenger on a private plane that came into Arcata from Georgia. A drug-sniffing dog had “alerted” to the presence of controlled substances, leading authorities to seize $2 million in cash.
Kpokankov later told the confidential informant that the money belonged to another person on the plane, who had a business dispute with the alleged robbery target. Kpokankov said he’d spread false rumors that the target had angered “Mexicans,” so that when the robbery occurred the target wouldn’t suspect Kpokankov, authorities said.
Kpokankov allegedly said he would provide guns, and Borisov said he was willing to do “the hard part,” authorities said. They reportedly agreed to travel to California, kidnap a courier, force him to give up the location of the $3 million, using violence if necessary, then split the money three ways.
They also reportedly planned to rob $5-6 million from other Illinois residents, referred to as “Vlado” and “Galla,” who owned a construction company and had properties in the Humboldt area. Last November, authorities raided one of those properties and seized 10,000 pounds of marijuana, according to the FBI.
A trial date for the trio has not yet been set.
Mercury News
