Moldovan Vladimir Plahotniuc Sentenced to 19 Years for Crimes, Including “Billion Dollar Bank Fraud”

A Moldovan court found former politician Vladimir Plahotniuc guilty of organizing a criminal group responsible for the 'Billion Dollar Bank Fraud', sentenced him to 19 years in prison, and ordered seizure of over 1.1 billion lei (~$64M). The report summarizes prosecutors' allegations that Plahotniuc and associates facilitated theft of roughly $1 billion from three banks, the civil claim for approximately $60M, his arrest on an Interpol notice, extradition, and statements from his defense and legal observers.