On January 27, 2025, two Ukrainian nationals named Oleg Oliynyk and Oleksandr Yurchyk faced sentencing for their involvement in operating fraudulent labor-staffing companies in Florida. These companies employed undocumented migrants, and the two individuals were extradited from Thailand in September 2024. As a result, each of them received a 15-year prison sentence for their roles in conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and committing money laundering.
Oliynyk and Yurchyk played crucial roles in a wide-ranging scheme that took place in South Florida from 2008 to 2021. Utilizing a network of companies including Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC, and Tropical City Group LLC, they hired non-resident aliens to work in the hospitality industry. This allowed them to bypass U.S. immigration laws and resulted in a staggering $25 million in tax fraud against the government.
A network of co-defendants, including Oleksandr Morgunov, Mykhaylo Chugay, and Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk, worked alongside these Ukrainian nationals to exploit undocumented workers. In order to conceal their illegal activities, the group transferred undocumented workers from the payroll of their companies to two shell companies. They also used bank accounts operated by Yurchyk and Oliynyk to channel funds, allowing them to pay the undocumented workers while avoiding the tax system.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division conducted an investigation into the case, which was part of Operation RoomKey. This case emphasized the international nature of the crime, with Ukrainian nationals playing a central role. These operations not only posed a significant threat to U.S. immigration laws but also led to considerable tax evasion, impacting Florida’s economy and taxpayer base.
Oliynyk and Yurchyk have been sentenced as part of a wider crackdown on illegal labor-staffing firms in Florida, which have been involved in employing unauthorized workers throughout the state. In addition to their sentences, both men have been ordered to pay restitution of $10.8 million and forfeit $11 million in assets. This comes after the convictions of other individuals involved in the scheme, such as co-defendants Chugay, Morgunov, and Ogorodnychuk.
The HSI Miami and the IRS Criminal Investigation Miami Field Office carried out the investigation.
For additional details, you can visit the Southern District of Florida website at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or access the PACER system at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, using the case number 21-cr-10009.