Tariel Oniani

**Tariel Oniani** (, ) is a Georgie mobster an 'thief in law'. He is reportitly a member o the "Kutaisi" creeminal gang.

## Backgrund an activity in Spain
Born in the minin toun o Tkibuli in the umwhile Georgie SSR, Oniani's faither dee'd wirkin in a mine an he turned tae a life o creeme. At the age o 17 he wis convictit o airmit robbery an servit time in preeson. It wis here that he wis initiatit as a 'vor v zakone', or thief-in-law. Bi the 1980s he wis ane o the maist prominent thieves in law o Moscow.

In the 1990s Oniani muivit tae Paris, whaur he wis introducit tae Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov. Efter bein chairgit wi several creemes he muivit on tae Spain, whaur he awned stock in an airline an whaur he ran a construction business employin illegal Georgie immigrants till in 2005 Spainyie polis conductit a lairge scale operation against his organisation. Oniani wis chairgit wi money launderin, transferrin illegal immigrants an organisin a creeminal gang but managit tae avoid the sting, while 100 o his wirkers, 28 members o his gang includin business pairtner Zakhar Kalashov an even his 12-year-auld dochter Gvantsa wur detained. It wis at aroond this time he wis put on Interpol's leet o wantit creeminals.

## Return tae Moscow an gang warfare
Efter the 2005 incident Tariel Oniani muivit back tae Moscow, unner the assumit identity o Tariel Mulukhov. Tensions grew atween Oniani an rival creeme boss an vor Aslan "Grandpa Hassan" Usoyan. Aroond 2007, members o Usoyan's gang stairtit turnin up deid, includin Armenie naitional Alek Minalyan, who wis allegitly in chairge o extortin construction firms wirkin on the 2014 Winter Olympics.

In 2008 in response tae the growin violence a meetin wis cried on Oniani's private yacht in an attempt tae mak peace atween the twa factions. Housomeivver, Roushie authorities wur notifee'd o the meetin an uised the opportunity tae conduct a well-publicisit raid an reest dozens o gangsters. The gangsters wur paradit in front o media cameras bi polis afore bein detained. The yacht meetin did no break up the violence, an the mobsters turned tae notit vor Vyacheslav Ivankov tae act as a mediator. Ivankov endit up takkin the side o the aulder an mair experiencit Usoyan, rather than Oniani whom he saw as a younger upstairt. In Julie 2009 Ivankov wis shot bi a sniper rifle while leavin a restaurant an dee'd o his woonds a few months later. It is believit his murther wis a result o his takkin the side o Usoyan in the gangland dispute.

In Dizember 2011, Spainyie newspapers reportit that Tariel's mansion in Barcelona haes been illegally occupeed bi squatters. Ane squatter allegedly repelled some o the enforcers sent tae evict him. He sits in the mansion drinkin defiantly wodka an considerin hissel as the "maister" o the Mansion. Meanwhile Oniani wis placit unner reest for the kidnappin o a businessman. Roushie authorities refused his advocate's bail affer o 15 million rubles. Meanwhile athort Europe several o his subordinates hae been shot deid, includin Vladimir Janashia in Fraunce an Malhas Kitai in Greece.

In Julie 2010 Oniani an associates wur sentencit tae 10 years for the kidnappin. Oniani reacted tae the verdict wi profanity an voued tae appeal. In 2011, Oniani wis extraditit tae the Spainyie authorities. In Januar 2013, Aslan Usoyan wis killed in Moscow, as competeetion atween him an Oniani increased. Housomeivver, anither possible suspect in the Usoyan is believit tae be Azerbaijani mobster Rovshan Janiev.

## Freemit airtins
*GANGSTERS, INC. - Tariel Oniani

## References