Three women accused of bank and credit-card fraud in a wide-ranging organized crime ring were granted bail Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
Natallia Vishnevskaya, 26; Nadezda Nikitina, 23; and 69-year-old Susan Ghardashyan each face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Nikitina and Ghardashyan — who appeared in a wheelchair — were granted release if they each post $10,000 bond. Vishnevskaya’s bail was set at $50,000.
All three were expected to have a preliminary hearing Wednesday, but the government and the defense lawyers agreed to move those hearings to Sept. 1 and 8 because they need more time to prepare their cases.
Prosecutors say the ring operated a scam using credit lines to obtain loans and products with no intention of repaying the money. Purchases included luxury vehicles bought from an Aurora auto dealership, Maaliki Motors, which was searched by federal agents.
Court documents say Nikitina formed a business, A&N Enterprises, and filed articles of organization with the Colorado secretary of state.
However, the Colorado labor department reported that she did not have any employment income at the time she filled out applications for credit on which she said she earned $180,000 a year.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Watanabe forbade the women from applying for new credit.
Court documents say Ghardashyan spent $20,300 at Maaliki Motors from February to April using a Target National Bank Card and another $10,000 on a Nordstrom card at the dealership. In late February, two attempts were made to charge another $21,000 to the Nordstrom card at Maaliki.
Investigators say 700 people were involved in the Denver-based scheme run by Russian immigrants, with losses topping $80 million.
Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com
