АлимжанТохтахунов

Alimzhan Tursunovich Tokhtakhunov (January 1, 1949, Tashkent, Uzbek SSR) is a Russian entrepreneur of Uyghur descent.[1][2] He is a philanthropist and president of the Russian Football Foundation. He is also a co-owner of major Moscow casinos—Metropol, Europe, and Asia (now closed). Also known as "Taiwanchik" and "Alik." Russian and Western media refer to Tokhtakhunov as one of Russia's most prominent crime bosses.[3][4][5] He was among the top ten most wanted individuals on the FBI's wanted list.[6] As of 2012, he was on Interpol's wanted list.[7] Early life[edit | [edit wiki text] Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov spent his youth in Tashkent, where during his school years he met people such as the future aluminum oligarch Mikhail Cherney and the future captain of the Russian national tennis team, Shamil Tarpishchev. In his youth, he was a keen football player and played for the Pakhtakor reserve team. He later served as an administrator for the Tashkent team and the Moscow CSKA Moscow team.[8] Cards[edit | edit wiki text] In the 1980s, he was a professional card player and was one of the legendary "katals" of the late Soviet period.[7] During the Soviet era, Tokhtakhunov served a prison sentence for parasitism.[9] While in prison, he met many thieves-in-law, all of whom, according to Taiwanchik, were "extraordinary, interesting people."[10] Emigration[edit | [edit wiki text] In 1989, he moved to Germany and remained there. He soon received Israeli citizenship. He began business (supplied food products to Russia) and earned a considerable fortune. In 1993, he moved to Paris (according to some reports, he was expelled from Germany). In 1995, he was expelled from Monte Carlo. In 1999, he was knighted in the non-governmental Order of Saint Constantine for his "asceticism, chivalrous spirit, and philanthropy." In 2001, he moved to Italy.