Possible money laundering link to Gatlinburg disappearances.

krista@seymourherald.com The disappearance of two Russian couples in Gatlinburg may have an interesting link. According to Gatlinburg Police Chief Harry Montgomery, one of the possible victims is Vladimir Yemelyanov, a Russian staffing agent. Other sources indicated that they wouldn’t be surprised if Yemelyanov was in fact a victim of foul play. According to the Seymour Herald’s exclusive sources, Yemelyanov would bring Russian immigrants to Sevier County, clean them up, find them a place to live and employment at area hotels and restaurants. He would then be given a sizeable portion of each worker’s earnings. The source also stated that while an apartment might cost only $400 a month Yemelyanov would charge $400 per person in an apartment, which he made sure to pack full. He also made sure to keep tenants rotated so that it appeared, to housing owners or landlords, that there were only a few people in each apartment instead of seven or eight. Eye witnesses at one apartment complex in Pigeon Forge said that they would see Yemelyanov drop people off. “He treated them like dogs. He would pull into the complex and pop open his truck. Four people would get out, get their suitcases, and go into whatever apartment Vladimir pointed at,” according to one source. Those sources also stated that Yemelyanov would show up at the apartment complex every Friday to collect money. “The Russians are scared of him,” said the source who works with several Russians at a restaurant in Gatlinburg. “They do whatever he tells them because he owns them. They pay him on Friday and he gives them (the Russian workers) a portion of that payment to live on.” Two weeks ago, Yemelyanov and his girlfriend were rumored to have been arrested by the Immigration Naturalization Services (INS) in a money laundering scandal, but without sufficient evidence they were released. However, many Russians feared that Yemelyanov would take off with their money. One Russian immigrant reportedly stopped payment on a check to Yemelyanov so that he could keep his money. “The Russians were going crazy that day. They thought that Vladimir was going to take off with all of their money,” According to a source Vladimir had over $40,000 of collected money from immigrants. The last time anyone saw Yemelyanov or his girlfriend was two weeks ago. It was also noted that Yemelyanov and his girlfriend lived in the Gatlinburg area however, the exact location was never discussed with the Seymour Herald’s sources. Last Friday, Police Chief Montgomery speculated in a phone interview that Yemelyanov could have been one of the victims. According to Chief Montgomery Vladimir Yemelyanov was “a name that was mentioned” in relation to possible victims. The investigation of foul play in the Russian community uncovers a growing problem in our county. Illegal Immigrants are finding ways to come into our community and they are paying people like Yemelyanov to help them obtain housing and employment. Once the Russians make enough money to return home wealthy, they leave. However, Yemelyanov was taking such a big portion of the earned income many Russians have not been able to return home as planned. He was also telling immigrants that only he could provide them with work visas, a service that many immigrants were paying for. In any case, Yemelyanov and his girlfriend disappearing certainly could be a tie in to the investigation. The INS was unreachable for confirmation on the arrest of Vladimir Yemelyanov or his girlfriend. The Pigeon Forge Police Department as well as the Sevier County Sheriff’s Department has no record of anyone by that name being arrested. The Gatlinburg Police Department is continuing to investigate the disappearances of the two missing Russian couples.