The Crimes of Putin’s Trader

PREMIERING THURSDAY, AUGUST 15TH: Hosted by CNBC Senior Washington Correspondent Eamon Javers, this is the secret story of a young Russian oligarch who hacked his way to an illicit $93 million fortune...and the FBI team who finally brought him to justice. For generations, insider trading on Wall Street has been a crime of the American rich: the stereotype of corporate executives passing stock tips at country clubs was not far off. But new cyberwarfare techniques, and an aggressive anti-Western Putin regime in Moscow have turned this kind of insider corruption into an attack from the outside on the American economy itself, with profound implications for all of us who have retirement accounts, investments, or work in corporate America. New episodes drop every Thursday.

Eamon Javers examines the life of Vladislav Klyushin, his incredible connections at the top of Russian society, and his deep relationship with Russian intelligence agencies. Listeners will go inside Klyushin’s criminal cyber company, known as M-13, and get a taste of his high-rolling lifestyle, fabulous parties, trips to the soccer World Cup, and helicopter skiing. Javers also details the emerging bromance between Klyushin and his employee Yermakov, a former Russian intelligence officer and hacker who was indicted by the U.S. government for his role in cyber espionage related to the 2016 American presidential election.

Through Javers’ exclusive interviews with the FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors involved in the investigation, the episode takes listeners back to the very beginning of this $93 million hack-to-trade scheme. A tip reveals a series of clues that ultimately leads agents to a private flight to Switzerland.

Klyushin’s scheme starts to unravel and the online brokerage that he and his team have been using begins to raise questions about their remarkable success rate in the stock market. In a recorded call, Klyushin assures bankers that he is not using insider information while the FBI begins to move in to make the arrest. Klyushin’s Swiss attorney reveals this case isn’t about insider trading but rather it’s spy versus spy payback.

Eamon Javers interviews veteran CIA clandestine operator Jim Olson, who worked for the agency in Moscow at the height of the cold war. Olson explains how the CIA tries to recruit Russians, like Klyushin, to turn on their country by using money, ideology, and ego. He also reveals spy tactics used by the CIA, such as the promise of U.S. college admissions for defector’s children and access to top notch healthcare for sick family members. Olson also gives listeners a course in how U.S. spies are taught to operate undercover.

Eamon Javers talks to a spy on the other side - a former Russian FSB intelligence officer who has defected to the United States and now lives under U.S. protection. For the interview, his identity has been concealed as he still is under threat of Russian retaliation. He’s been studying the Vladislav Klyushin case and explains how Klyushin is just one of multiple Russian intelligence connected insider traders. The veteran spy alleges that this is a deliberate strategy by Vladimir Putin to destabilize Western economies and steer profits to his cronies.

Eamon Javers continues his conversation with veteran CIA spy Jim Olson about a Mission Impossible-style raid Olson led on a Russian communications line outside of Moscow. He also reveals the one thing he ever refused to do for the agency - even if it meant protecting his country.

This episode details the historic prisoner swap that took place on August 1, 2024, between the U.S., Russia, and other nations. Vladislav Klyushin, among others, was sent back to his home country of Russia as part of the exchange, cutting short his nine-year prison sentence.