Overview
- Sklarov is in federal custody in Chicago after an indictment unsealed this week in New York charged him with a scheme that prosecutors say exceeded $450 million.
- He is accused of offering a $115 million loan and then seizing and selling about $400 million in Grupo Elektra shares that had been pledged as collateral.
- Prosecutors say he used aliases including Gregory Mitchell and set up Astor Asset Group to claim ties to the storied Astor family and attract high-profile clients.
- Court filings identify the reported victim as Ricardo Salinas Pliego, whose company said it welcomes U.S. action and will cooperate with the Justice Department.
- A Chicago court is handling removal proceedings to transfer Sklarov to New York, and records note his prior 1998 federal fraud conviction and long-standing Chicago ties.