2 Convicted of Evading Gasoline Taxes

A federal court jury Wednesday convicted two Russian immigrants, one from Sherman Oaks, of conspiracy and tax evasion in a scheme that siphoned off more than $1 million in federal gasoline taxes using a dummy corporation.

Oleg Yasko, 38, of Sherman Oaks and Boris Lomazov, 47, of San Francisco were found guilty in the so-called “daisy chain” scheme that apparently was originated by an East Coast organized crime family, prosecutors said.

U. S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts in Los Angeles increased Lomazov’s bail from $50,000 to $100,000 and ordered Yasko to jail to await sentencing Sept. 12. Both face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

Letts said he wanted Yasko in jail because of trial testimony that he “has, and might again, employ armed gunmen to do his bidding.”

The judge also referred to gasoline trade industry journal articles submitted by federal prosecutors that quoted New York court documents saying Yasko was an unindicted co-conspirator in a 1987 case.

The articles were not introduced as evidence in the trial.

Four other men--Feliks Rozen, 53, of Northridge, and Leib Yarmolkin, 44, Jeffrey Torgan, 28, and Roman Raskin, 44, all of West Hollywood--have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aiding and abetting tax evasion. They are scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 16.

Prosecutors alleged that between May and August, 1987, Yasko, Lomazov and the other men bought 14 million gallons of gas for $11 million and pocketed $1.3 million in federal excise taxes.

Assistant U. S. Atty. Gary S. Lincenberg said the so-called “daisy chain” scheme was set up by first obtaining a federal tax-exemption certification for a nonexistent company called Janice Ventures. Under IRS regulations, a company granted such an exemption deals in gasoline on the condition that it collects the excise tax from its customers.