An elite unit of Portugal’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has taken over a money-laundering investigation involving Elvira Gavrilova Paterson, a Ukrainian movie producer who helped promote alleged crypto frauds linked to Russian entrepreneur Vladimir Okhotnikov, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. 

The Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action, which handles prosecutions of complex crimes, is assuming control of an inquiry opened last year after two Portuguese banks reported unusual activity in Gavrilova’s accounts, including a cash deposit of about $312,000, ICIJ reported, citing Portuguese new outlet Expresso.

Gavrilova, through her public relations firm Elledgy Media, organized high-profile promotional events in 2024 and 2025 for Okhotnikov’s start-ups, which the report described as allegedly fraudulent crypto investment schemes that have drawn about $1 billion from millions of investors. Gavrilova is currently based in Portugal, ICIJ reported.

Okhotnikov is also connected to the film project “Holiguards Saga: The Portal of Force,” which he co-produced, co-wrote and appeared in, with Kevin Spacey directing and starring, according to the report. Okhotnikov currently resides in the United Arab Emirates after fleeing criminal charges from U.S. and Georgian authorities, according to the report. 

U.S. prosecutors indicted Okhotnikov in 2023, alleging he used a rigged crypto investment platform called Forsage to steal at least $340 million in a Ponzi and pyramid scheme. A court in Tbilisi, Georgia, sentenced him in absentia the following year to 10 years in prison for laundering $1.1 million in proceeds from the alleged fraud.

The news outlet also reported that Okhotnikov’s newer platform, Meta Whale, bears similarities to Forsage, including the use of smart contracts on blockchain systems. Authorities in multiple countries have issued warnings or taken action related to Meta Whale following the consortium’s reporting. 

In December, Vietnam’s cybersecurity police and other units shut down the platform’s local operations and arrested three promoters accused of facilitating an illegal multi-level marketing scheme, ICIJ reported. Regulators in Australia and Canada have also warned the public against investing in Meta Whale.

Read more at ICIJ