Minnesota Man Found Alive After Faking His Death: Feds

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities Tuesday announced the arrest and extradition of a man after he allegedly faked his own death so his wife could collect a $2 million life insurance policy. Igor Vorotinov, 54, was federally indicted in 2015 on one count of mail fraud.

He was arrested on Nov. 14, 2018 in the Republic of Moldova, and extradited to the United States last week.

According to the indictment and documents filed in court, in March 2010, Vorotinov obtained a $2 million life insurance policy on his own life from Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. He designated his wife, Irina Vorotinov, as the primary beneficiary.

Federal investigators say on Oct. 1, 2011, police in Moldova received a phone call reporting a dead body at the entrance of the Cojusna village in central Moldova. Documents recovered from the body, including a passport, hotel cards, and contact phone numbers, identified the man as Igor Vorotinov, according to a news release.

Irina traveled to Moldova to identify the body. After identifying the corpse as Igor, Irina obtained a death certificate from Moldovan authorities and had the corpse cremated.

When she returned to the U.S. Irina submitted the death claim to Mutual of Omaha for the $2 million policy. A funeral was held where an urn was placed in a niche at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, according to investigators.

Irina received a check for more than $2 million at her Maple Grove home on March 23, 2012. She then transferred $1.5 million to an account in her son's name, Alkon Vorotinov.

Authorities say on on Nov. 27, 2013, Alkon was stopped by Customs and Border Protection in Detroit upon returning from a trip to Moldova.

A computer seized by CBP agents contained digital photos taken on April 19, 2013 and on May 12, 2013 that showed Igor alive, according to investigators.

Irina Vorotinov was later sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for mail fraud. Alkon was sentenced to serve three years of probation and pay more than $2 million in restitution for one count of misprision of a felony.

Sign Up For Patch's Daily Newsletter and Breaking News Alerts in Your Neighborhood

Image via Shutterstock