Oregon Chauffeur Couple Stole $34 Million from Clients, Splurges on Luxury Life Before Prison Sentence

A married couple from Portland, who stole $34 million from two clients for chauffeur and personal errand services, was sentenced on Thursday to four years and nine months in federal prison, plus three years of supervised release.

The Couple Provided a Chauffeur and Personal Services

According to court documents, Sergey Lebedenko (54) and Galina Lebedenko (49), owned and operated a Portland chauffeur and limousine business, with Sergey as the driver and Galina handling company finances.

In 2007, their victim used their services for the first time to go to the airport and soon became a regular customer.

A decade later, Sergey was his regular driver, while Galina performed personal tasks for both the victim and partner, paying bills, providing a pet care service, and sorting their mail.

By about 2016, the victim shared details of his American Express credit card with the couple so that they could make direct charges for their services, an arrangement that continued until 2023.

According to court documents, the Lebedenko’s did not have a written business contract with the victim, and, in 2013, Galina gave them an invoice showing hourly rates for driving at $90 and $60 an hour for other services.

Apart from this one invoice, the couple never provided the victim with information about the hours worked or their charges for services rendered.

The Couple Stole $34 Million Over Seven Years Buying Properties and Luxury Items

The Lebedenko’s stole $34 million over seven years, charging their victim $17,900 on one day with 17 transactions for collecting and delivering a prescription and meals.

Court documents show that the Lebedenko’s splurged money on a luxuriously extravagant lifestyle. They bought 14 properties, seven vehicles, shared ownership in a private jet, and countless other items that included gold bars, jewelry, watches, wallets, and shoes.

The court has entered a Final Order of Forfeiture against the assets bought with proceeds of their fraudulent acts, including 14 real properties and 19 financial accounts. The government will seek remission of forfeited assets to the victim.

The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Meredith D.M. Bateman and Andrew T. Ho, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

The Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie C. de Villiers, also of the District of Oregon, is handling the forfeiture proceedings.