Two MTA workers plead guilty to conspiracy in steering bids to their company, prosecutors say

Two MTA workers, accused of rigging the agency’s vehicle auctions to ensure a company they controlled submitted winning bids for contracts, pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy, federal prosecutors said Monday. 

Dzmitry Yaniuk and Marina Yaniuk pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, prosecutors said. According to court papers, the MTA workers engaged in a conspiracy with another defendant, Timour Abramov,  to ensure their company won bids for contracts. 

Marina Yaniuk, an MTA sales specialist, provided confidential pricing information to Dzmitry Yaniuk and Abramov in violation of MTA rules. 

Dzmitry Yaniuk and Marina Yaniuk pleaded guilty to one count of fraud conspiracy and face up to 20 years in prison. They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 4. It was not clear from court records if they were represented by counsel. 

Abramov pleaded guilty to one count of fraud conspiracy on Jan. 30. 

“The MTA’s riders and New York’s taxpayers trust government employees to put public service first,” said Director Daniel Glad of the Justice Department's Procurement Collusion Strike Force. “When public servants abuse their positions and cheat for personal gain, the Antitrust Division and its PCSF partners will hold them accountable.”

The Justice Department created the PCSF in November 2019 to combat antitrust crimes and fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant and program funding.