A Suffolk County Criminal Court judge set bail last week at $2 million cash each for two men charged earlier this month with drug trafficking in an alleged East Hampton operation that Assistant District Attorney Rob Archer said racked up $1 million in proceeds.
Mr. Archer, part of the D.A.’s Narcotics Bureau, asserted in court last week that Michael Khodorkovskiy, 44, made 17 sales of cocaine to a member of the East End Drug Task Force, a multi-agency team that conducted a yearlong investigation into the alleged sales, while Alexandr Dyatchin, 38, had been selling ecstasy and cocaine to the same undercover officer.
Mr. Archer said that Mr. Khodorkovskiy largely ran the operation out of his apartment in Brooklyn, while Mr. Dyatchin handled distribution on the East End.
Mr. Khodorkovskiy pleaded not guilty at his appearance on the charges in front of Justice Steven Pilewski last Thursday. On Friday, Mr. Dyatchin appeared in the same courtroom also to plead not guilty.
Mr. Khodorkovskiy is charged with four class-A1 felonies, nine class-A2 felonies, and 34 class-B felonies.
When Mr. Khodorkovskiy was arrested in Brooklyn on Aug. 2, police reportedly discovered over a kilogram of cocaine along with $100,000 in gold coins, which his attorney, Tony Mirvis, later argued were a gift from Mr. Khodorkovskiy’s ex-wife.
The additional kilogram of cocaine could lead to more A1 felony charges of “operating as a major drug trafficker,” which means that an alleged trafficker possessed an aggregate value of $75,000 worth of narcotics one or more times within a six-month period.
The discovery of the gold coins, along with a bank account that Mr. Archer said contained about $130,000, prompted the district attorney to launch a financial investigation into the two men.
Because Mr. Khodorkovskiy maintains an out-of-state connection in Pennsylvania and is now on probation for an unrelated April 2023 conviction in Brooklyn, Mr. Archer said that “significant bail is warranted,” and argued for the $2 million cash bail. Mr. Archer also asked that Mr. Khodorkovskiy be ordered to surrender his passport.
“There are two people that are involved in the alleged drug operation,” argued Mr. Mirvis, and “no underlings,” meaning that the alleged distribution system was not part of a larger network. He said that the police could have made the arrests “after two sales, three sales.” Records from the East Hampton Town Justice Court reference nine occasions between Sept. 26, 2023, and May 7 when Mr. Khodorkovskiy allegedly sold cocaine to an undercover town police officer.
As such, Mr. Mirvis requested a substantially lower bail of $500,000 for his client. Judge Pilewski took the prosecutor’s recommendation and set bail at $2 million cash.
Prior to Mr. Dyatchin’s hearing on Friday, his attorney, Ken Russo, requested a Russian interpreter for future court hearings, but informed Justice Pilewski that his client could manage that day’s hearing for the purposes of the not-guilty plea.
Mr. Archer told the judge that a “long criminal investigation” had ended with 12 charges levied against Mr. Dyatchin.
The bulk of them stem from incidents last summer. A Florida resident, Mr. Dyatchin returned south for the winter, at which point Mr. Khodorkovskiy allegedly took over the distribution end of the operation. Mr. Dyatchin returned to East Hampton around Memorial Day, at which point he continued the sales, the A.D.A. said.
After executing a search warrant on Aug. 2 for the Springs house at which Mr. Dyatchin was living, the task force reportedly discovered half a kilogram of cocaine in about 1,000 individual packages, seemingly ready for sale. Police also discovered around $19,000 in cash at the house, according to Mr. Archer.
As with Mr. Khodorkovskiy’s case, the prosecutor discussed a potential additional A1 felony charge for “operating as a major drug trafficker,” which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years to life in prison.
As for bail, Mr. Archer argued for the same number that he requested the previous day, saying that Mr. Dyatchin is not legally in the United States, as his visa previously expired. Though he was born in Russia, Mr. Dyatchin is a Serbian citizen. The immigration issues, along with his permanent residence in Florida, warrant the high bail amount, Mr. Archer said.
“He has absolutely no criminal record,” Mr. Russo told the judge, also stating that his client might return to the Springs residence. Additionally, Mr. Dyatchin does not at present have an immigration hold, Mr. Russo said.
“I would ask for a far more reasonable bail,” Mr. Russo continued, without specifying a number. Judge Pilewski again sided with the prosecution, ordering bail set at $2 million cash. Outside the courtroom, Mr. Russo told the press that his client will not be able to make bail, but declined to make a statement.
Both cases are to be heard next in front of Suffolk County Justice John Collins, with Mr. Khodorkovskiy’s next court date set for Sept. 10 and Mr. Dyatchin’s follow-up set for Sept. 23.
