Reborn in Russia as a Big Shot

Chapter 115 Local Tyrant

Kumarin's hidden funds have been transferred to Galina in installments through SkrilI's small-amount cross-border function.

Although her personal commission is only 10%, it is still an astonishing fortune that is completely inexplicable to her.

Galina has already withdrawn some of the dirty money within the United States using Visa's international withdrawal function.

The principle of money laundering can be simplified into two steps.

To conceal one's tracks.

Rationalized income.

The accounts used to receive the stolen money were not in Galina's name; they were all opened using stolen information. As long as she wasn't caught on camera when withdrawing money from the ATM, the flow of funds could not be traced.

Actually, even if you're caught on camera, it's not a big problem. Surveillance footage isn't stored for long and will be overwritten quickly. Unless you're already being watched.

In the United States, the proportion of the population who regularly use cash is very high, especially in tourist areas like Ozark, where large amounts of cash are brought in by tourists during peak seasons.

Galina's little bit of money, once thrown into this fund pool, disappears without a trace; what remains is simply legitimate income.

We need to find a way to explain how this money was earned.

Once these two steps are completed, and the full amount of taxes has been paid to the IRS as protection money, the remaining funds are considered legitimate income.

Galina stayed at the largest hotel in Ozark, but it was only a budget hotel with over a hundred rooms.

Wealthy people who come here to play don't stay in hotels; they rent villas, both short-term and long-term, and some even stay on yachts.

Li Xiang came to the hotel to find Galina.

"I have a fellow villager who rented a dock here. He doesn't want to run it anymore, so I can transfer it to you. It's perfect for money laundering."

"The dock? They charge management fees, huh?" Galina frowned.

"You can't even think straight to launder money. The number of parking spaces is fixed, and the fees are fixed too. You can easily calculate how much money you make each day. How can you possibly inflate the figures?"

Li Xiang patiently guided him, "Use your imagination. Imagine it as a service station on a highway. You sell things there, and the sales figures won't be so easy to calculate, right?"

"You could also offer refueling services and discounts on gas prices to attract more customers. With ships coming and going every day, who can really say for sure who bought what?"

"There are quite a few wealthy people who come here for vacation. As long as your service is good enough, you can attract them to spend money. Whether they buy you a few bottles of wine, it can cost tens of dollars, hundreds of dollars, or even thousands of dollars. There is a lot of room for negotiation here."

"I landed a big, generous client and made several thousand dollars in one night, which is perfectly reasonable. The clientele are all tourists; once they leave, they're gone. Where are you going to find them? You can't even reconcile accounts with them."

"The tutorial for beginners is over. I've given you a handy start, and from now on you'll have to rely on yourself." Li Xiang brought up the old topic again. "Whether you acknowledge it or not, I've repaid VK's favor."

"Why are you always trying to distance yourself from me?" Galina said, a little anxious.

Li Xiang said in a serious tone, "You've already graduated, there's nothing more I need to teach you."

"I didn't have a choice before, but I don't want to be Kumarin anymore." Galina lowered her stance further, pleading with her lips pursed. "I've finally seen a glimmer of hope, please don't give up on me, please."

"Your brother and I do have common interests now. He wants to transfer assets, and I need cash flow. We can cooperate."

What about the future? You're caught in the middle; you'll have to face this question sooner or later.

Galina said earnestly, "If my brother decides to go back to a respectable profession after he gets out, then I will acknowledge him. But if he goes back to his old ways, I will never have anything to do with him again."

"Have you thought it through?" Li Xiang asked to confirm.

Galina was a little agitated. "I'll get over 16 million US dollars in commission this time. Once I launder all that money, I'll be a super-rich person. Why would I want to go back? I don't want to live those days of fear and anxiety anymore."

Li Xiang's expression changed, and mimicking Corleone's tone in the movie, he slowly said, "You won't even call me Godfather."

.

The atmosphere in the room froze instantly. After a few seconds of silence, Galina couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

"You're doing a pretty good job. If you put two more cotton balls in your mouth and puff out your cheeks, you'll look even more like it."

Li Xiang said in a commanding tone, "Just make sure your own money is clean, and don't take on any business outside the company."

"I won't take it," Galina stated immediately. "I don't care about my brother's share. Let him find his own way to get it after he gets out of prison."

Li Xiang nodded and said, "Since I'm already your godfather, I'll teach you everything and give you some final pointers."

"Is there anything else I need to be careful about?" Galina said jokingly, trying to ease the tension. "You're too cunning. If I'm not on your side, do you want to just watch me die?"

Li Xiang said, "You have a strong survival ability. You won't die. At most, you'll just suffer a little loss, but you'll learn your lesson after that."

Galina: "I'm not going to be at a disadvantage."

"Seriously," Li Xiang's expression turned serious again, "This isn't Russia. We must be very careful when using violence."

"If it comes to the point where violence is unavoidable, try to resolve it with money. Since you don't speak the language here, I've brought you a helper who can help you contact the Russian-American gangs in Miami."

Galina said, "I did my homework. There are only 34 front-line police officers in Ozark, and less than 60 including administrative and support staff."

"I rented a boat yesterday and went out for a spin. The lake area here is just too big; even 600 people wouldn't be enough, let alone 60."

.

"This place is perfect for me. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The Ozark Lake District is indeed very large, but it spans multiple counties in terms of administrative divisions, with the city of Ozark encompassing only a small part of it. However, it is also true that there is a severe shortage of police resources.

Li Xiang cautioned, "Always remind yourself that you have an E2 visa and you don't have U.S. citizenship. If you are convicted, you will not only face imprisonment, but you may also be deported after serving your sentence. It won't be easy for you to come back."

"Understood," Galina nodded.

Li Xiang lowered his voice and said, "There are seaplanes here that don't need to refuel mid-flight and can fly directly to the US-Mexico border."

"Let's run away." Galina grinned.

"Just keep that in mind," Li Xiang said, getting back to the main point. "Missouri is a deep red state, with particularly severe local protectionism."

"Never get into too much conflict with the local big families. Try to integrate yourself into the local community and become a part of it."

"How can I localize if I can't even speak English?" Galina pouted.

"What matters is not nationality, nor language, but votes and taxes."

"As long as you can become the economic backbone here, provide jobs, increase tax revenue, bring benefits and prosperity to the local area, instead of creating chaos, they will protect you."

"Even if they know you're laundering money, they'll turn a blind eye. They'll even shield you from the federal investigation."

"In Russia, the police system is top-down; local authorities obey federal command. It's different in the US; federal agencies..."

State police, county police, and city police are independent of each other and have no hierarchical relationship.

"Don't underestimate those thirty-odd police officers in Ozark. They have jurisdiction over everything in their jurisdiction. Even if the FBI comes to investigate, they can still refuse to cooperate if the paperwork isn't complete."

"The vast majority of police officers in the United States are employees. Don't think of them as law enforcement agencies; they're there to manage you. They are employed by all taxpayers and work in the service industry. Whoever pays taxes locally is their bread and butter."

"This is especially true in more conservative, more red-leaning regions."

"How big does a business have to be to be considered a major taxpayer?" Galina had already figured it out.

Li Xiang looked around and said, "This will do."

"Ozark does have a shortage of police, but believe me, anyone who dares to cause trouble here will be there within fifteen minutes."

Li Xiang said, "Compared to Russia, this is a simple model. If you really invested all your more than ten million here, you would be the local tyrant."