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Wannabe Uzbek mobsters staggering $4.5M ‘Goodfellas’ scheme: Cigarettes. High-end cheese. Copper wires.

Nypost · · 815 words · By Larry Celona; Ben Kochman; Greg Carlton; Matt Troutman
Organized crime Immigration Status criminal justice
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Metro exclusive details Wannabe Uzbek mobsters staggering $4.5M ‘Goodfellas’ scheme: Cigarettes.

Claims checked 15
Techniques found 3
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Metro exclusive details Wannabe Uzbek mobsters staggering $4.5M ‘Goodfellas’ scheme: Cigarettes.

Why it matters

Published June 3, 2026 Updated June 3, 2026, 6:46 p.m.

Common ground

ET See more of our coverage in your search results.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/us-news/uzbek-mobsters-swiped-4-5m-in-cigarettes-c…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 15 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 5
check_circle Corroborated 5
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 2
verified Verified 1
schedule
Claim 1: “Khasanov was ultimately ordered held behind bars pending a June 11 hearing about his bail application.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 2: “A crew of Uzbek wannabe mobsters allegedly pocketed $4.5 million of high-end cheese, cigarettes and other goodies from warehouses across the Northeast”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm a crew of Uzbek nationals was busted for stealing approximately $4.5 million in cigarettes, cheese, and other goods from warehouses in the Northeast.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It is itself surrounded by five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan to the north; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Tajikistan to the southeast; Afghanista…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Uzbekistan
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (UzSSR), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the U…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbek_Soviet_Socialist_Republi…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, Tajikistan to the sou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “Alleged leader Murodullo “Murad” Khasanov and seven of his cronies were hit with a sweeping conspiracy and grand larceny indictment in Manhattan”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Murodullo Khasanov was the ringleader and that eight people (Khasanov and seven others) were indicted in Manhattan on charges including conspiracy and grand larceny.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — [1] The charge contained in the indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in…
https://manhattanda.org/d-a-bragg-nypd-bic-eight-indicted-fo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The prosecutors said Murodullo Khasanov, 40, was the ringleader of the group of men whose ages ranged from early 20s to early 40s. Each person faces a count of conspiracy in the fourth degree as well …
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/03/nyregion/8-indicted-in-4-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Eight people were indicted for conspiring to impersonate shipping carriers in a wide-ranging retail theft ring throughout the U.S. Northeast.Other charges include grand larceny in the first and second…
https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2026/06/10/33806…
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Claim 4: “A downcast Khasanov – along with alleged accomplices Nodir Kobilov and Aleksey Vorobyev – was arraigned later on the charges stemming from the joint probe by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Port Authority police and the NYPD.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the arraignment of Khasanov, Nodir Kobilov, and Aleksey Vorobyev, and that the probe was a joint effort by the Manhattan DA, Port Authority police, and NYPD.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A downcast Khasanov – along with alleged accomplices Nodir Kobilov and Aleksey Vorobyev – was arraigned later on the charges stemming from the joint probe by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, …
https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/us-news/uzbek-mobsters-swiped-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The defendants, Murodullo Khasanov, Nodir Kobilov, Shavkatbek Mamadjanov, Rakhmiddin Abdullev, Aleksey Vorobyev, Nizom Ismoilov, Doston Mardoev, and Dilshod Naviev are each charged with one count of C…
https://www.thetrucker.com/trucking-news/business/new-york-a…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Authorities in New York have busted a truck cargo hijacking ring allegedly run by Uzbek national Murodullo “Murad” Khasanov.
https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/06/04/new-york-da-indic…
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Claim 5: “The ring’s six alleged heists between October 2025 and April hauled in... $165,000 worth of lamb, $266,000 worth of copper, $295,000 worth of beef, $432,000 worth of cheese, $3.3 million worth of cigarettes”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources provide the exact breakdown of stolen goods: $165k lamb, $266k copper, $295k beef, $432k cheese, and $3.3M cigarettes.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 ... Prosecutors say that the defendants stole $165,000 worth of lamb; $432,000 worth of cheese; $295,000 worth of beef; more than $266,000 worth ...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/eight-thieve…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 9, 2026 ... In total, they allegedly committed six thefts and stole $165,000 worth of lamb; $432,000 worth of cheese; $295,000 worth of beef; more than ...
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2026/06/09/872910…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 9, 2026 ... $165,000 worth of lamb · $432,000 worth of cheese · $295,000 worth of beef · more than $266,000 worth of copper · more than $3.3 million of ...
https://www.truckersnews.com/news/article/15827109/8-busted-…
help
Claim 6: “The drivers would then show up to pickups in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, pose as carriers and make off with the shipments”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results specifying the pickup locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
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Claim 7: “Kobilov and Vorobyev pleaded not guilty during the arraignment and were given supervised release.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 8: “the knockoff gangsters used modern technology – hacking into computers and creating a forged paper trail – to fraudulently land hauls”
VERIFIED
Web search results specifically state that investigators allege the group gained access to computer systems and used forged documents to fraudulently obtain shipments by posing as trucking companies.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The use of forged documents has become a persistent challenge for border and immigration authorities. Counterfeit passports, visas, and identity cards can be used to conceal a person’s true identity o…
https://www.2-remove-virus.com/police-dismantle-fake-id-mark…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Investigators allege that they gained access to computer systems and used forged documents to fraudulently obtain shipments.Posing as legitimate trucking companies, they reportedly won transportation …
https://qalampir.uz/en/news/ak-shda-uzbekistonlik-gangsterla…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Federal investigators say forged IDs, fake deeds, and fraudulent loans allowed criminals to sell the home as if it were legitimate. The scam passed through bogus escrow, lenders, title insurance, and …
https://www.hometitlelock.com/articles/burbank-california-ho…
info
Claim 9: “Cops busted a “surprised” Khasanov early Wednesday after raiding his glamorous Surf Avenue high-rise apartment”
SINGLE SOURCE
The detail about the 'surprised' reaction and the specific 'Surf Avenue high-rise apartment' is only found in one provided web search result.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... Cops busted a “surprised” Khasanov early Wednesday after raiding his glamorous Surf Avenue high-rise apartment – which boasts a balcony ...
https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/us-news/uzbek-mobsters-swiped-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... AVENUE APT 2D,,YONKERS,NY,10705 04/24/2026,CAFE BLASE LLC,CAFE BLASE LLC,21 ... Island,NY,10306 04/24/2026,ANDERSON & NORTON GROUP LLC,ANDERSON ...
https://data.ny.gov/api/views/jdbh-ntmd/rows.csv?accessType=…
travel_explore
help
Claim 10: “The wiseguy poseurs worked with an unnamed organized crime syndicate to infiltrate the day-to-day shipping process by impersonating legitimate trucking carriers and winning shipment bids”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results regarding a collaboration with an unnamed organized crime syndicate.
schedule
Claim 11: “prosecutors argued that Khasanov, who also pleaded not guilty, should be held on $1.5 million cash bail.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “A breathtaking cache of stolen cigarettes originally headed to Tennessee ended up in a Bronx warehouse, where NYPD and Bronx district attorney’s investigators confiscated them in April”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 13: “Khasanov and his alleged crew entered the US illegally during the Biden administration, and do not speak English”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of WikiLeaks documents regarding CIA hacking tools, which are completely irrelevant to the immigration status or language skills of Murodullo Khasanov.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — How did WikiLeaks obtain each part of "Vault 7"? Sources trust WikiLeaks to not reveal information that might help identify them. Isn't WikiLeaks worried that the CIA will act against its staff to sto…
https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — WL Research Community - user contributed research based on documents published by WikiLeaks. Tor is an encrypted anonymising network that makes it harder to intercept internet communications, or see w…
https://wikileaks.org/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Vault 7: BothanSpy Today, July 6th, WikiLeaks publishes documents from the BothanSpy and Gyrfalcon projects of the CIA, designed to intercept and exfiltrate SSH credentials.
https://wikileaks.org/-Leaks-.html
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Claim 14: “Profits from the stolen goods – which included 25,000 pounds of purloined parmesan, pecorino and Manchego cheeses”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources explicitly mention the theft of 25,000 pounds of parmesan, pecorino, and Manchego cheeses.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of dog breeds includes both extant and extinct dog breeds, varieties and types. A research article on dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines modern dog breeds as "a recent invention …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dog_breeds
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Manchego (Spanish: queso manchego, pronounced [ˈkeso manˈtʃeɣo]) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. It is aged between 60 days and 2 years.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchego
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Manchego cuisine (Manchegan cuisine or Castilian-Manchego cuisine) refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of the Castilla–La Mancha region of Spain. These include pisto (a vegetab…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchego_cuisine
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 15: “His attorney Michael Stanley Mandel tried to downplay his criminal problems, including an Interpol “red-notice” from Uzbekistan, where he’s wanted for fraud.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.