Russian accused of murder for hire, convicted of fraud released from federal custody
Leonid Teyf, the man at the center of a raid in Raleigh that grabbed international headlines, is no longer in federal custody.
Teyf and his wife, Tatyana Teyf, both of Russia, were arrested following a raid at their North Raleigh mansion back in 2018.
The case involved money laundering, murder-for-hire accusations and millions of dollars.
He eventually pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official, visa fraud and making false statements on his tax returns, all felonies.
Teyf was released after serving five years in local and federal custody. The judge in his case said Teyf would be deported following his release, to Belarus, Israel or Russia. WRAL News has asked the U.S. Attorney's Office and immigration officials to see if that has happened.
Tatiana Teyf pleaded guilty to making false statements in her naturalization process, also a felony. She was sentenced to time served and won't face deportation.
As part of their pleas, the Teyfs agreed to forfeit $5.9 million they had in banks, as well as various amounts of seized cash, and Leonid Teyf agreed to pay a $99,000 penalty for the tax violation.
The case grabbed headlines in 2018 when FBI agents raided the Teyfs' north Raleigh mansion. Authorities also found guns and cash at a condo Leonid Teyf bought on Glenwood Avenue.
Agents said Leonid Teyf told an FBI informant that he wanted the son of his housekeeper killed because he thought the man was having an affair with his wife. He told the informant that he wanted the son "kidnapped, taken into the woods, forced to admit to having sex with Tatiana Teyf on video then to be killed," according to a court document.
Leonid Teyf then decided he wanted the son deported because, if he was back in Russia, “he would be buried already," a court document states.
He and a friend then tried to bribe a Department of Homeland Security agent to investigate and deport the son. According to documents in the case, the men offered the DHS agent a boat, vehicle or cash as an incentive to investigate. They also agreed to pay the agent $25,000 for an "investigation that would result in the arrest and deportation" of the son.
The friend then helped Leonid Teyf provide a $10,000 down payment, promising that, once the son was deported, the agent would get an additional $15,000.
When the deportation plan was taking longer than he expected, Leonid Teyf returned to the murder-for-hire plan and paid a federal informant $25,000 to kill the son, even providing him with a gun where the serial number had been removed, authorities said.
As part of plea deals, federal prosecutors dismissed murder-for-hire, weapons, money laundering, harboring illegal aliens and all but one of the tax charges against Leonid Teyf and all charges but the one she pleaded to against Tatiana Teyf.
