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<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-84fd083f857c49ddafbf78574a260d56 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>Ukrainian couple Sergey Lebedenko, 54, and Galina Lebedenko, 49, were sentenced Wednesday to four years and nine months each, for <strong>conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud</strong></strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e3730bd8eba04eb6cad0e0fb8e5428b9 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>They pled guilty in October after being accused of using their Limo service to steal $34million from decades-long customer<strong>, banking heir and publisher, Win McCormack, 80 </strong></strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bd0deaa9ab4341991a70754e5662005d wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>At his sentencing hearing Lebedenko sought clemency from the judge based on his frail health, requiring the use of a wheel chair </strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-42f0e51eea2cbf0da03ed395174439c3 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>McCormack&#8217;s lawyers hired a private investigator to follow Sergey for a week and caught him on tape walking his dog, stepping out of his car without a cane heading into a store </strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-81392c953d090f740222f83c44f082ce wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>Court saw another footage of Lebedenko using a leaf blower and dragging his trash bin back to his door</strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-48f389b809bef91937164853af37693d wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>McCormack first hired the couple&#8217;s driving service in 2006, and over time progressed to Lebedenko running daily errands for the millionaire, house-sitting and fixing things around his Portland home </strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b1b0bd01006a6b102430ea6605e1653b wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>First arrested in January 2024, defendants were accused of using their limousine service company to post unauthorized and inflated charges to the tycoon&#8217;s American Express card </strong></p>



<p class="has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a0ed32deff96924bd180cf30c1722044 wp-block-paragraph" style="color:#251515;font-size:14px"><strong>Discarding the plea agreement, Judge Baggio Wednesday immediately sent the couple to imprison, citing their deception and lies as a reason they couldn&#8217;t be trusted to be imprisoned at a later date</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Sergey-Lebedenko-8.png" alt="" class="wp-image-475823" style="width:840px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>After he begged the judge for mercy due to his &#8216;frailness&#8217; during a sentencing hearing, a private investigator following &#8216;frail&#8217; Sergey Lebedenko for a week, caught the multi-million dollar embezzler on tape walking his dog, getting out of a car without a cane</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sergey Lebedenko, 54, and his wife, Galina Lebedenko, 49, of Portland Oregon were sentenced to four years and nine months each for stealing $34million from his boss, Win McCormack, 80. <br>Prosecutors said the Ukrainian couple used the proceeds of the &#8216;colossal heist&#8217; on the wealthy Democratic donor to buy a private jet, gold bullion and guns.<br>At his sentencing hearing Lebedenko sought clemency from the judge based on his frail health. However, his plea was undermined by a hilarious video that exposed the chauffeur as a fraud &#8211; he was seen walking his dog with no hint of infirmity.<br>McCormack, an heir to a banking fortune, is the publisher of the progressive magazine The New Republic, owns Oregon’s Tin House book publishing company and is a prolific donor to the Democratic Party.<br>The couple pled guilty in October to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Win-McCormack-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-475807" style="width:837px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Victim: Win McCormack, 80, an heir to a banking fortune, is the publisher of the progressive magazine The New Republic, owns Oregon ’s Tin House book publishing company and is a prolific donor to the Democrat party</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During sentencing, Sergey <a href="http://During sentencing, Sergey begged the judge for mercy, claiming he was so frail he couldn't walk and needed a wheelchair, The Oregonian. McCormack's lawyers hired a private investigator to follow Sergey for a week and caught him on tape walking his dog. The former chauffeur was seen using a cane to get around and heavily favored one leg. He was later seen getting out of a car carrying the cane to go into a store with his dog. He was also seen using a leaf blower and dragging his trash bin back to his door, videos played in court and obtained by The Oregonian showed. 'It is beyond question that Sergey Lebedenko lied repeatedly about the extent of his physical impairment,' US District Judge Amy M. Baggio said in court on Wednesday. The couple, who were arrested in January 2024, allegedly used their limousine service company to make unauthorized and inflated charges to the client's American Express card.">begged the judge for mercy,</a> claiming he was so frail he couldn&#8217;t walk and needed a wheelchair.<br>McCormack&#8217;s lawyers hired a private investigator to follow Sergey for a week and caught him on tape walking his dog. The former chauffeur was seen using a cane to get around and heavily favored one leg.<br>He was later seen getting out of a car carrying the cane to go into a store with his dog. He was also seen using a leaf blower and dragging his trash bin back to his door, videos played in court and obtained by The Oregonian showed. <br>&#8216;It is beyond question that Sergey Lebedenko lied repeatedly about the extent of his physical impairment,&#8217; US District Judge Amy M. Baggio said in court on Wednesday. <br>The couple, who were arrested in January 2024, allegedly used their limousine service company to make unauthorized and inflated charges to the client&#8217;s American Express card. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Sergey-Lebedenko-and-Galina-Lebedenko-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-475835" style="width:826px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Super swindlers Sergey Lebedenko and his wife, Galina Lebedenko were sentenced to four years and nine months each for stealing $34million from banking heir Win McCormack, 80, who employed them as chauffeurs and odds job folks around his home in Portland, OR</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trust built in a relationship that spanned 18 years since McCormack first hired their limo service in 2006, was misplaced and abused, running into millions the court heard.<br>They ill-gotten loot funded their lavish style that included a $1.5 million executive jet, a $2million home in Sunriver, California, and a $2.3million home in Portland, aside from 12 other properties. <br>They also bought other houses in Portland for their adult children and pastor. <br>The Lebedenkos authorities said, splurged on designer goods from Gucci and Louis Vuitton and expensive jewelry.<br>Prosecutors say they found $100,000 in cash, 150 ounces of gold worth about $300,000, and 12 firearms in the couple&#8217;s homes in Portland and Sunriver.<br>McCormick&#8217;s net worth is unclear but he was described by Forbes as a multimillionaire and lives in a stunning $3.6M Portland home. In a case described as the largest heist against an individual in Oregon&#8217;s history, the couple charged his card 225 times for a total of $602,490, in just one month in 2022. Prior to commencement of trial investigators had not located at least $20million of the stolen funds.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Sergey-Lebedenko-6.png" alt="" class="wp-image-475820"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>During sentencing, Sergey Lebedenko begged the judge for mercy, claiming he was so frail he couldn&#8217;t walk and needed a wheelchair. But after a week team McCormack&#8217;s private investigator also recorded the embezzler us<strong>ing a leaf blower and dragging a thrash bag</strong> </strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The publisher said he was shocked when he discovered their fraudulent activity, especially by someone he considered &#8216;closer to a friend.&#8217; <br>&#8216;It was painful and horrifying for me,&#8217; McCormack said in court. &#8216;I’m still reckoning with my own embarrassment at having missed this.&#8217; <br>&#8216;It’s chilling to look back at how smoothly they lied, how easily they feigned affection and concern,&#8217; his longtime partner, Carol Butler, said in an interview. <br>McCormack met the Lebedenkos for the first met n 2007, when he hired their service to drive him the airport. Over time Lebedenko began doing daily errands for the millionaire. As the relationship grew, the couple would also house-sit for McCormack and fix things in his home. <br>He never had an official contract with the couple, only verbal agreements that he&#8217;d pay them $90 an hour for driving and $45 an hour for odd jobs. <br>However by 2016, the relationship had progressed to his giving them direct access to his American Express card. A privilege held by only one other person, McCormack&#8217;s assistant.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Win-McCormacks-3.6M-home-in-Portland-OR-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-475826" style="width:840px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The net worth of <strong>banking heir Win McCormick </strong>is not published. Acknowledged to be a multimillionaire, he had the grifting and swindling couple chauffeur him around Oregon. They would also house sit and fix things around his 3.6M Portland home</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The publisher shared his time between homes in New York City and Portland. From 2018 to 2023, Sergey chauffeured his boss around when he was in Portland and took care of his dog, sorted his mail, and picked up his dry cleaning.<br>The couple would then charge McCormack&#8217;s card without providing the itemized receipts. The millionaire hardly looked at his credit card statements. Bills were automatically paid and he trusted the couple to be truthful. <br>Taking advantage the Lebedenkos instead, made hundreds of charges, including 29 that equaled to $96,800 on McCormack&#8217;s birthday in 2022. In another instance, for 139 separate charges listed for one day in October 2023, they also charged $52,500, according to court records.<br>Ahead of their daughter&#8217;s wedding, the mega swindlers charged the mark $1.3million across 454 transactions, although McCormack had not been invited to the wedding.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Sergey-Lebedenko-and-Galina-Lebedenkos-2.3million-home-in-Oregon-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-475827" style="width:840px;height:auto"/></figure>



<p class="has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Lebedenko&#8217;s allegedly used the stolen loot to fund a lavish style that included a $2million home in California, another home in Oregon valued at $2.3million and <strong>a $1.5 million executive jet</strong> </strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The couple has since liquidated many of their assets to pay back the money, including agreeing to forfeit 13 properties and 19 financial accounts, which are estimated up to $20million in value. <br>Galina told the court the court while her husband sobbed: &#8216;Your Honor, we just got greedy.&#8217; <br>Discarding the plea agreement, Judge Baggio immediately sent the couple to imprison, citing their deception and lies as a reason they couldn&#8217;t be trusted to be imprisoned at a later date. </p>

Video of ‘energetic man’ exposes duplicity of chauffeur and wife who stole $34M from banking heir – Sergey and Galina Lebedenko jailed despite mercy plea due to ‘frailness’ at sentencing hearing
