Things are now moving quickly in the Vienna Cybercrime Trials (#VCT). The Israeli fraudster Gal Barak is currently serving his four-year sentence handed down by the court in early September 2020 in the #VCT proceedings. He was one of the principals of the E&G Bulgaria cybercrime organization and was found guilty of investment fraud and money-laundering. The German prosecutor’s office also wants to charge him and has requested extradition. The trial against his wife, Marina Barak, is scheduled to start on March 15, 2021. The NGO EFRI is acting as a private prosecutor representing hundreds of victims from EU jurisdictions.
Israeli Gal Barak and his partners Gery “Gabi” Shalon and Vladislav “Vlad” Smirnov were the masterminds of E&G Bulgaria. Its huge network of broker scams such as XtraderFX, OptionStarsGlobal, SafeMarkets, Golden Markets, or EasyTrade.
Marina Barak (formerly Marina Andreeva), a Bulgarian citizen, was the chief financial officer of the cybercrime empire while also communicating directly at the Shalon and Smirnov. She was the laundering money through Payvision, B2G, and other payment processors, according to the indictment. She is charged with investment fraud and money-laundering. The trial starts March 15, 2021. There are also two additional days scheduled for March 18 and March 22.
Her husband’s Austrian lawyers represent Marina Barak. However, the presiding judge has changed. The trial will be presided over by an experienced female judge.
A former associate of Barak’s alleged to the indictment that more than €200 million was stolen from more than 30,000 victims between 2016 and 2019. Gal and Marina Barak used the money to buy land in Bulgaria, among other things. However, according to the company, a considerable part of the money has also been invested in online casino activities.
Important: Marina Barak is currently presumed innocent despite her husband’s conviction.
