IIRC, transferring money in increments of under $10,000 in order to avoid reporting it to the authorities is itself a big no-no (it sets off red flags as a money-laundering technique). Here the explicitly mention doing so to AVOID taxes. See the part bolded below.
Conspiracy to commit tax fraud? Wire fraud? I dunno, I'm a layman. That's why I want a real lawyer to look at it. Here is the text, and the website I got it from. :
Return to the index page | Later Emails From: "Tatiana M. Dedkova" To: K.Briffa@xxxxxxxxx.xxx Subject: schijatov Date: Thu, 7 Mar 96 09:41:07 +0500 Dear Keith, March 6, 1996 I and Eugene received your E-mail of 04.03.1996. This day I talked over the telephone with Eugene and he asked me to send an answer from both of us. Thank you for the information concerning proposals to the INCO/COPERNICUS. We agree with your strategy used and we hope that this proposal will not be rejected. The results of INTAS-RFBR proposal will be known at the beginning of May. We know that they received many proposals and a competition is high (only 1 in 10 proposals might get money). Of course, you included in as a participant. Fritz is a coordinator from the INTAS countries. This year our laboratory received two small grants (approximately 8,000-10,000 USD per year) from the Russian Foundation of Basic Researches (RFBR) for the next three years: the first one for developing the Yamal supra-long chronology and the second one for developing tree-ring chronologies from living trees growing at the polar timberline in Siberia (together with Vaganov's laboratory). These money are very important for us as they will allow to maintain the staff of our laboratories. I and Valery Mazepa were in Krasnoyarsk during one month and together with E.Vaganov wrote the manuscript of book "Dendroclimatic Studies in the Ural-Siberian Subarctic". The problem now is to find money for its publication. If we find enough money soon (20 million roubles), the book will be published this autumn. We analysed 61 mean ring-width and 6 cell chronologies which we intend to publish in form of tables in the Appendix. We can send to you all raw measurements which were used for developing these chronologies. Of course, we are in need of additional money, especially for collecting wood samples at high latitudes and in remote regions. The cost of field works in these areas is increased many times during the last some years. That is why it is important for us to get money from additional sources, in particular from the ADVANCE and INTAS ones. Also, it is important for us if you can transfer the ADVANCE money on the personal accounts which we gave you earlier and the sum for one occasion transfer (for example, during one day) will not be more than 10,000 USD. Only in this case we can avoid big taxes and use money for our work as much as possible. Please, inform us what kind of documents and financial reports we must represent you and your administration for these money. I and Eugene have a possibility to participate in the Cambridge meeteng in July, but we need extra many and special invitations. If you do not have enough money to invite both of us, Eugene does not insist upon this visit. The best wishes to you and Phil. Yours sincerely Stepan Shiyatov
http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=1&filename=.txt I searched on the words "cash transfer Russia"
This is the site: http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=27&filename=.txt
I typed in "Dedkova", did the search by hand; and then found this email, 866572566.txt.
So far I have not been able to find the email of June 5 referred to in this letter. In the context of the earlier email between these two about "increments under $10,000 n order to avoid reporting it to the authorities", it looks like it might have been interesting, eh?
The formatting below is mine.
From: "Tatiana M. Dedkova"
To: k.briffa@xxxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject: from Shiyatov
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 97 14:36:06 +0500
Dear Keith,
I am not sure you received my message sent the last week from
Moscow. Therefore I decided to repeat it.
Thank you for the message of 5 June,1997.
I am anderstanding your difficulties with transfering money and I
think the best way for us if you will bring money to Krasnoyarsk
and I give you a receipt.
Rashit will go to Yamal at the end of June and I go to the Polar
Urals at the beginning of July. We can find money
temporary at our
Institute and other sources for three months to fulfill our fieldworks.
Now I am at two weeks holiday with my wife and grand-daughter near Moscow
after the meeting of Russian Academy of Sciences where E.Vaganov was
elected as the Academician of RAS. It is important for dendrochronological
studies at our country and international collaboration.
Sincerely yours Stepan Shiyatov
Incidentally, if you read the thread between these people, it appears that some of this work is connected to the controversial Yamal tree-rings, if I happen to be reading correctly. See for one example the letter 844968241.txt
From: "Tatiana M. Dedkova" To: k.briffa@xxxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject: Rashit
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 96 13:24:01 +0500
Dear Keith,
enclosed are data concerning Yamal chronology. <snip>
Cheers!