Russian (prison) street

“On the bunks with Uncle Sam”-this is the name of the Documentary Roman Impresario from New York, once the Voronezh philologist Lev Trachtenberg, who left for a term of 60 months-in an American prison for “criminal conspiracy for the purpose of extortion and deceit of the Government of the United States of America”. The Eksmo Publishing House, publishing the novel, rightly reasoned that in Russia it was not good from prison and it would be nice to know how the penitentiary systems were arranged in other countries, in particular in the United States. The New Times publishes the chapter in which the author talks about meetings with compatriots who found themselves in the States behind bars

Leo Trakhtenberg with Larisa Rubalskaya during her tour in the United States

Russian Fort Fix* did not like to work. This was clear from their relaxed behavior, free personal graphics and fundamental comments. “Work is not a member, it stood and will stand,” Slavik Wasserman, one of the fourteen Russian criminals from the south side of my prison, loved to repeat. “For eight dollars a month, I will better deal with myself, my beloved than I will hump on the cops.”

Slavika I saw yesterday in the dining room. Now, together with another Russian-language contingent of Fort Fix, he hung near one of the tables on the prison Brighton.

I, like a pioneer, stretched out in front of a group of "our" boys. For complacency and confidence, he put his hands in his pockets and tried to joke. The dialogue ensued: question, question, question-answer, question-answer.

Natives of the Soviet Union, for the most part, kept together. We were forever united the language of interethnic communication, vodka and movie "The Irony of Fate, or with a slight steam."

Former citizens of the socialist camp were friends with the “Russians” by good Soviet tradition: Poles, Albanians, Romanians, Czechs, Bulgarians and Hungarians. Many of them knew the “great and powerful” and from time to time spoke Russian even in the American zone.

I happened to meet other Russophiles - lovers and connoisseurs of the whole Russian: several schizunite advanced Americans; two African drug couriers who once studied in the USSR; The entire Israeli contingent, as well as several Europeans - the Dutchman, the Englishman and the German grandfather joined them.

A separate allied group was the Italians. Rather-Italo-American. We unequivocally nourished to each other undisguised warm fraternal feelings - like two friendly ethnic mafia ...

* Probably, the author has in mind the Fort Dix prison-federal male prison for not very dangerous criminals (Low-Securry) in New Jersey: over 4 years of conclusion, the author, as he writes in the preface, changed several prisons. - NT.

Looking*

The conversation with the Russians gradually spun. From the very first seconds of communication, I realized that I had nothing to fear. And after half an hour of mutual interrogations, we made an initial impression of each other.

“It seems that you are not really repenting of your crimes, as Oslovsky wrote about this in the“ New Russian Word, ”said Dima's trick-a sixty-year-old gray-haired athlete,“ watching ”the Russian street in Forte-Fix.

I shrugged - understand how you want.

-Come to me, soaring. You probably need some clothes. It seems that I have shorts just on you.

Dima's deception was known as the legend of Russian crime in America. He received his twenty -five years twelve years ago. For drugs.

During Dimin, neither money nor powder was found with him. Therefore, at first, the deception did not really worry about the outcome of the court-the prosecutors did not have evidence. Like others, confident (or not very far -sighted), Dima, Dima refused a pre -trial deal with the prosecutor’s office and the criminal.

Then the authorities applied their favorite technique - the theory and practice of a “criminal conspiracy”, in which special evidence was not required - only the words of the surrendered accomplice were enough. As a result, Dima, who boldly went to the court, received the highest possible period and thundered in one of the most serious zones of a particularly strict regime - the “penitentiary center Alenwood”.

In this prison, after several years, he ended up at “strict” and “medium” mode. In the Fort-Fix, the conditions of the detention of the convicts were defined as Low-Secury, that is, we were a zone of “general” regime.

Despite the name, we pushed behind a double fence, barbed wire around the perimeter and inside the zone, machine gunners on the towers and evil German shepherds from the K-9 department.

Dima called me to his, as he said, “penthouse” - a cool double “number” on the ground floor of a three -story building. The cell was clean and not so comfortable. In the literal sense of the word.

While Dima was looking for a gift, I examined the photos of the family glued on the inside of the metal door of his cabinet.

Parents, son, ex -wife ...

Ten minutes later, I left the case happy and satisfied.

Smiling at the whole mouth, I held in my hands uniform prison pants folded into a roll. I was flaunted by gray cotton shorts from the spring-summer collection from Dima's deception.

Light white sneakers were replaced by official orange dudes. Donations in favor of a goner-first made a 300-pound ** Seedgist and Vadyusha Polyakov.

Vadik has already served seven years, but five more shone in front of him. He was an apologist for heavy athletics and spent an endless clock in the prison gym. The rest of the time he distributed between the game of chess and reading.

In Fort Fix, this thirty-seven-year-old Odessa citizen was for a “criminal conspiracy and an attempt to extort”-a typical Russian crime in the United States.

Sasha Khrapovitsky carried out the package of cotton panties of the Hates, unknown to me. I appreciated his gift, because the prison was not only old, but also seventy -five percent artificial.

As a result, local panties rubbed everything that could be rubbed. The children's pouring, borrowed from the neighbors, did not help. The local linen did not pass the air at all and prevented the body from breathing normally almost in the stagductous *** heat with almost one hundred percent humidity-typical summer weather of South New Jersey.

* Hereinafter The New Times.

** 300 pounds = 136 kg.

*** 100 F = 37 ° C.

Moscow - Miami - prison

Sasha Khrapovitsky - a successful Moscow entrepreneur, was sitting on the same “Russian article” - “a criminal conspiracy to extort”. Not only he sat, but also his ex -wife Vika, with whom they fled about five years ago, but remained in good relations.

They left an eighteen -year -old son at large.

Ex-sprayers could be corresponded only thanks to a common child and a divorce procedure in time. Other prisoners, who were in different prisons, were strictly forbidden to exchange mail - had to use intermediaries in the wild.

The presence of former wives who fell into the millstone of the American femid Themis and children, as a teenager faced with the arrest of both parents, immediately brought me closer to Sasha.

At first - so for sure.

Prior to the arrest, Sasha lived in New York and dangled between Moscow and the USA. One fine day, Vika called him, who settled with their son in Miami. She sobbed into the telephone - she was raped by their common friend.

The next day, Sasha was already in Florida. Former spouses decided that they would not go to the police, but “solve issues” on their own. One single meeting with a paskuda-burner cost him ten, and Vika was nine years of prison.

After a “heart -to -heart conversation” with Sasha and Vika, their former friend ran to the police. There he told the story of the extortion of “compensation” and the collision of the “Russian Mafia”. This magical phrase was enough to instantly arrest the former spouses and attach to the case the red label “organized crime”.

As in the case of Dima, Sasha and Vika decided to go to the jury.

Instead of those proposed by the prosecutor for three years and a complete admission of guilt, both - both Sasha and Vika - lost the case. The “victim” cried with crocodile tears, and the assessors believed him - “the innocent doctor faced Russian organized crime.”

And we were all part of her.

Gasoline gesheft

The tall and lean New experts Borya Glukhman, the owner of a subtle sense of humor and five -year prison term, contributed to the rescue of the drowning man.

From him I got a few hebash shirts and sweatpants. The very next evening, on a festive salute in honor of Independence Day, I went out in Borin Prikid.

With him we came together in just a few minutes - I laughed at his jokes and tales from prison life as an abnormal one. He allowed himself to tease and joked himself easily at himself.

The intelligent young man sat down on gasoline.

Having a gas station in New Jersey, Borya bought fuel from suppliers in Maryland*. At the same time, he “forgot” pay taxes for the import of goods from another state. For the deceit of the omnipotent “sacred cow” of ay-er-es ** woe-machinator and received his five.

He was released after 30 days.

* New Jersey and Maryland - two out of 50 US states.

** IRS, Internal Revenue Service - US Tax Department.

Doctor

The charismatic and forever arguing 60-year-old Semen Semenovich Katz learned about the entry of a new Russian prisoner from his acquaintance from Mexico. Like Sherlock Holmes, he cut circles around the quarantine detachment, trying to attack my trail.

It seemed that Semen Semenych, a former chief engineer of the Chernivtsi Galanterery Factory, has some kind of military secret and special knowledge. He really had his opinion about everything and really loved to teach others.

For fifteen years in America, Semyon Katz has become the owner of a small clinic. "Doctoral office", as Russian Americans said.

Like dozens of other doctors, its office served victims in linden car accidents. For the deceit of insurance companies to which tidy accounts for non -existent procedures and research were issued, they took it. The office, the case, was dismissed. Dr. Aibolit immediately pleaded guilty and received a three -year term. Semyon loved to recall Soviet times and his native factory. In prison, he actively healed. After the long -term and daily consumption of alcohol, he began to run and took up light physical education. In parallel with this, he hit religion - no service in prison synagogue did without him.

He pulled his gray head a little forth, Semyon took me aside and said with importance:

- Young man, you definitely need to sew your pockets for shorts. I have one Schwartz*here, who can arrange it for five dollars. In addition, I simply must tell about everything that is happening in this prison. As an intelligent person - an intelligent person.

I gratefully agreed to get both my pockets and an excursion into prison secrets. Although then he regretted this more than once - in me he found an accessible interlocutor and endlessly weaved his stories and imposed on the Semenov vision of the world.

* The slang designation of the African American, a literal translation with Yiddish is “black”.

Captain

Seryozha named the captain did not give anything. I was not at all offended: gifts are a voluntary matter. When I found out that the 33-year-old former captain of the long-distance voyage gave almost a 40-year term, all sorts of further questions were over. American judges often gave time due to the average duration of human life in 150–200 years. Seryoga I felt sorry for. Very sorry. On a small ship, where he served the first assistant, they transported cocaine. A lot of cocaine - several bags.

The Panama ship with a Ukrainian crew stopped the boats and helicopters of the American coast guard in completely neutral waters. In neutral!

The cargo was found and under the aim of the guns and machine guns “Atlantic Star” was reduced in Miami. A small crew was arrested.

The captain, together with the seventeen Ukrainian sailors who believed in the American legal system and the presumption of innocence, decided to go to court.

Neither he nor his crew knew that it was the customers who loaded the hold - on the papers it was a rice grown in Nicaragua for Cuba.

As usual, Seryozha was accused of criminal conspiracy. The only evidence of his guilt was the performance at the trial of the captain of the ship. To save his skin and get a shorter term, he showed that our captain and his countrymen knew about the cargo. The wooden hammer hit, and everyone got "deservedly."

Poor Seryoga did not despair and hoped for Trity Transfer - a transfer to his homeland. In Ukraine, they did not hear about such imprisonment - the American term was counted with displaced prisoners and, as a rule, was immediately released.

The captain has already filed for three times to the main Washington office of the Federal Prison Bureau. He was refused twice, but he laid special hopes on a new petition. He and his state defender were waiting for an answer - the process of considering the request occupied almost a year.

Fort-Fixovsky Chuk and Huck

Sasha Komarkovsky and Robert Deception, thirty -year -old accomplices and friends did not spill water, put me as a gift a non -alcoholic lotion after shaving, Palmolive toothbrush in a translucent tube and rubber shower for a shower.

Both of them lived in America for twenty -five years and acted great specialists in Russian and American prison "concepts." That there is a "western" and what not. What is possible and what is impossible.

Sasha possessed a sense of humor and strong brains. This did not prevent him from going through the American "youngster" and establish himself as a notorious "trabker" (order violator. - NT.).

In addition to the general criminal case - all the same Russian organized crime - friends brought friends another important fact: their fathers were known to their accumulations in all immigrant newspapers of sons.

Sashin dad, an elegant intellectual, was a popular New York psychiatrist. He spoke on the radio and TV, wrote to newspapers and actively hanged out.

Pope Robert, the founder of the glorious dynasty of the Russian mafiosi, was serving a deadline in our prison.

Dima's deception gratively and in the ais way called Robik a “son” and kissed in the morning meetings and evening partings. Almighty providence was restored by justice: after thirteen years of separation, dad and son met for two years in an American prison.

Roberte of Deception and Alexander Komarkovsky was arrested on one day as members of the famous "brigade" Zinovy ​​Malia. According to the prosecutors, the gang for several years threw a New York Brighton Beach.

Their boss was here, in the Fort Fix prison, but only on its other side. I had to meet him a couple of months later, immediately after transferring to the north side of the zone.

Despite the promises of prosecutors to plant all members of an organized criminal group for fifty years, thanks to famous lawyers, the case has practically collapsed. Then the prosecutor’s office offered the foreman and his accomplices of the year two or three.

Both Maliy and the guys decided not to take risks and accepted the terms of the deal. The experience and acquired knowledge affected - the authorities won ninety -five percent of all federal trials.

Brothers-brothers

Two Georgians - Koba and Irakli - did not react to my parish in any way. No gifts were presented with the “magi”. They approached, greeted, introduced themselves and immediately returned to the next table, where from morning till night they puffed up in cards and backgammon with laryngeal Israelis. Which is quite normal. To everyone - his own.

They immediately told me why they got into the Fort Fix.

Irakli received eight years for extorting half a million dollars from his own uncle. The forty-year-old Irakli and his accomplice staged the “abduction” of the nephew and, on behalf of non-existent extortions, demanded a ransom from a heartless millionaire relative. He turned out to be “honest rules” - he did not give money and contacted the FBI, which joyfully brought the matter to the logical end.

Koba, a former resident of Kutaisi, and then the Israeli Kfar Saba, several years ago moved to Los Angeles. He was sitting for the sale of ecstasy - a popular club drug. For funny pills in America, from the end of the nineties, they gave "a lot and a long time." Kobu was taken with a small batch of goods, so he received only 120 months.

He was clearly fed, not like the captain, deceit and surrounded me to the new friends-and-offers. Now, in addition to the general consultant Maxim, I got a whole constellation of prison comrades.

A couple of days ago, even at home, I tried to imagine how the current “meeting on the Elbe” would happen. At heart, I hoped for a good trick, but I definitely did not count such a credit of trust. Probably, a newspaper hype and a bunch of articles that appeared in three years of my struggle against windmills helped.

The people clearly prepared for a meeting with a famous robber ...

Prison Brighton

The heat and humidity intensified. I ran without a break either to the fountain of water, then to the toilet.

The corps, near which the Russian prisoners were hanging out, was at the very end of the zone. It was in him that the number-Lux Dima was occupied by the number. Opposite it was an authentic three -story red brick building. There, Sasha Verbitsky, Semyon Semenych and the captain. The rest of the Russians were scattered through other buildings. Maksimka and I lived in quarantine, and Borya and Slavik - in "Yunu" (compartment. - NT.) For alcoholics and drug addicts.

Между двумя корпусами тюремного Брайтона расположился классический российский двор — 60 метров в длину, 30 — в ширину. За покрашенными бордовой краской деревянными столами сидели зэки.

По-тюремному унифицированные и похожие друг на друга. Все как один: белая котоновая футболка плюс серые хэбэшные шорты.

Несмотря на отчаянную жару и всеобщую липкость, народ за столами отчаянно резался в карты и домино. Интеллектуалы же разложили шахматы или нарды.

На весь двор приходилось одно захудалое дерево, и под ним сидели несколько человек. В двух противоположных углах загона красовались два потрепанных временем газибо (беседки. — NT). В Беловежской пуще такие нехитрые постройки ставили для зимней кормежки диких зубров и оленей. В наших навесах вместо сена висели старинные телики и были установлены огромные урны для окурков. На территории тюрьмы курить разрешалось только в газибо.

За курение в неотведенных для этого местах: бараках, учебном корпусе или на спортплощадке — попавшиеся заключенные сразу же отправлялись в карцер. Это правило дуболомы соблюдали безупречно.

Даже накануне главного праздника страны.

Photo: from personal archive