Statement Of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara On The Guilty Pleas Of Larisa Medzon, Anna Makovetskaya, And Svetlana Mazer To Charges Related To Their Roles In The Citytime Fraud Scheme
Larisa Medzon, Anna Makovetskaya, and Svetlana Mazer pleaded guilty to conspiring in the CityTime fraud scheme, enabling a $500+ million bribery and kickback conspiracy against New York City through falsified records and illicit payments, and agreed to forfeit millions in ill-gotten gains while facing potential prison time.
Larisa Medzon, Anna Makovetskaya, and Svetlana Mazer pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering for their roles in the CityTime fraud scheme, which defrauded New York City of over $500 million through inflated software contracts and illicit kickbacks. As highly paid consultants, they facilitated the fraud by falsifying time records, concealing conflicts of interest, and funneling payments to corrupt officials and vendors. As part of their guilty pleas, each agreed to forfeit millions in ill-gotten gains, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office and NYC Department of Investigation recovered more than $500 million and continue pursuing accountability for all participants.
Larisa Medzon, Anna Makovetskaya, and Svetlana Mazer pleaded guilty to their roles in the CityTime fraud scheme, a massive bribery and kickback conspiracy that defrauded New York City of more than $500 million through inflated software contracts and fraudulent billing practices. Acting as highly paid enablers, they falsified time records, concealed conflicts of interest, and facilitated the funneling of illicit payments to corrupt officials and vendors, enabling the scheme’s architects to siphon public funds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, in partnership with the NYC Department of Investigation, successfully recovered over $500 million in stolen funds as part of the broader prosecution. Each defendant agreed to forfeit millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains as part of their guilty pleas, acknowledging their complicity in the scheme. They faced charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering, with the potential for significant prison sentences looming. The Department of Justice emphasized that their pleas marked a critical step in holding enablers accountable, not just the scheme’s masterminds. The case underscored systemic corruption in city contracting and demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated federal and local enforcement efforts in recovering public funds and deterring future fraud.
Extracted insights
- $500.00M $500 million $100M–$1B
- person Anna Makovetskaya ×2
- person Larisa Medzon ×2
- person Svetlana Mazer ×2
- organization CityTime
- organization Department Of Investigation
- organization Department of Justice
- person Preet Bharara
- organization U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District Of New York
- Larisa Medzon pleaded guilty to charges related to their roles in the Citytime fraud scheme
- Anna Makovetskaya pleaded guilty to charges related to their roles in the Citytime fraud scheme
- Svetlana Mazer pleaded guilty to charges related to their roles in the Citytime fraud scheme
- Larisa Medzon served as highly paid enablers of an epic fraud against the City of New York
- Anna Makovetskaya served as highly paid enablers of an epic fraud against the City of New York
- Svetlana Mazer served as highly paid enablers of an epic fraud against the City of New York
- The City recouped more than $500 million
Press Release Statement Of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara On The Guilty Pleas Of Larisa Medzon, Anna Makovetskaya, And Svetlana Mazer To Charges Related To Their Roles In The Citytime Fraud Scheme Wednesday, June 19, 2013 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York “Through lies and subversion, each of these three defendants served as highly paid enablers of an epic fraud against the City of New York. And with their pleas today and multi-million dollar forfeitures, they will be stripped of their ill-gotten gains and potentially their liberty. Thanks to the efforts of prosecutors from this Office and our partners at the Department of Investigation, the City recouped more than $500 million that was lost to the CityTime fraud, and we continue to hold the perpetrators of this brazen scheme to account.” Updated May 13, 2015 Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 13-212
Press Release Statement Of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara On The Guilty Pleas Of Larisa Medzon, Anna Makovetskaya, And Svetlana Mazer To Charges Related To Their Roles In The Citytime Fraud Scheme Wednesday, June 19, 2013 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York “Through lies and subversion, each of these three defendants served as highly paid enablers of an epic fraud against the City of New York. And with their pleas today and multi-million dollar forfeitures, they will be stripped of their ill-gotten gains and potentially their liberty. Thanks to the efforts of prosecutors from this Office and our partners at the Department of Investigation, the City recouped more than $500 million that was lost to the CityTime fraud, and we continue to hold the perpetrators of this brazen scheme to account.” Updated May 13, 2015 Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 13-212