Uriel Laber
Miami businessman and philanthropist, a claimant in United States civil forfeiture proceedings over alleged laundering of PrivatBank funds; he denies wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged in any source consulted
| Uriel Laber
| |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | Miami Beach, Florida |
| Occupation | Businessman; president of the Laber Foundation |
| Known for | Co-founding Optima International of Miami; named in the US civil forfeiture cases over PrivatBank |
Uriel Laber (known as Uri) is a Miami Beach businessman and donor to Chabad-Lubavitch institutions. With Mordechai Korf he co-founded Optima International of Miami, and he is the president of the Laber Foundation.[1][2] Like Korf he is named in United States civil forfeiture complaints and in a Delaware civil suit by PrivatBank, which allege that the two men helped the Ukrainian businessmen Ihor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov (also spelt Boholiubov) launder money taken from that bank. These are allegations. Laber denies them through his lawyer, and none of the sources consulted reports a criminal charge against him.
Background and business
The Forward reported in 2020 that Laber was 48. RFE/RL reported that Laber met Korf at a religious school in Detroit and arrived in Dnipro in 1994, three years after Korf.[1] The two men founded Optima International of Miami in 1995, according to RFE/RL.[1] The Justice Department's complaint of December 2020 describes Laber as Korf's business partner, and says he "serves on the supervisory board of Ukrnafta", the Ukrainian oil company.[3] That is the government's description. The New York Post reported in 2021 that Laber was listed as a board member of Jewish Educational Media.[4]
Philanthropy
According to The Forward, the foundations run by Laber and Korf gave about $25 million to more than 160 Jewish non-profits between 2006 and 2018, based on their tax filings.[2] The New York Post reported that they gave about $11 million to nearly 70 New York institutions, including $466,647 from the Laber Foundation and $476,000 from the Korf Family Foundation to Colel Chabad between 2006 and 2013.[4] The Laber Foundation's grants are listed on Laber Foundation. Other recipients named in the press include Friends of Lubavitch of Florida, the Lubavitch Educational Center and the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS.[2]
The two papers gave different figures for the Laber and Korf foundations' gifts to the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS: The Forward reported $2.8 million and the New York Post "nearly $1 million".[2][4] The Forward stated that there was no evidence any recipient knew of the alleged laundering, and the New York Post that authorities had not accused the charities of wrongdoing.[2][4]
Allegations and legal proceedings
Status: allegation. The proceedings summarised here are civil. The detailed account, with sources, is on Mordechai Korf; the points that concern Laber are these.
- PrivatBank suit (Delaware, 2019). The Forward reported that the bank's new owners sued, naming Laber and Korf among three US "agents" who allegedly helped the former owners; RFE/RL reported that the suit claims $780 million was laundered into the US financial system.[2][1]
- Forfeiture actions (Southern District of Florida). The Justice Department's actions concern commercial properties in Dallas, Louisville and Cleveland. Complaint paragraph 15 says the interests of Laber and Korf "may be adversely affected", and the claims they entered contesting forfeiture were noted in a 2024 ICSID decision.[3][5] RFE/RL reported that FBI agents raided the men's Miami office on 4 August 2020, and that neither they nor the Ukrainian businessmen had been criminally charged.[1] A US motion of 18 May 2023 said three of the four forfeiture actions had been stayed since May 2021 and that the actions were "closely entwined with an ongoing criminal investigation".[6]
- ICSID arbitration. Three Optima companies brought ICSID Case No. ARB/21/11 against the United States. The tribunal's decision of 19 January 2024 records that Korf and Laber are alleged to hold 33.335 per cent of Optima Ventures LLC.[5]
- Freedom of information suit. Laber is a co-plaintiff with Korf in Korf v. United States Department of State (No. 1:25-cv-20830, S.D. Fla.), filed 21 February 2025; a magistrate judge recommended on 1 June 2026 that the plaintiffs' summary-judgment motion be granted.[7] That case concerns a records request, not the PrivatBank allegations.
Denials
Their lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, told The Forward that the allegations against them were "100% false and defamatory".[2] He told the New York Post that "Mr. Korf and Mr. Laber have never had any dealings with laundered money and any allegations to the contrary are patently false and irresponsible".[4] Kolomoisky and Bogolyubov deny the accusations and say the money came from the sale of their Ukrainian steel assets to Evraz.[1]
See also
- Mordechai Korf
- Laber Foundation
- Korf Family Foundation
- Chabad and Ukraine
- Chabad and fraud
- Ihor Kolomoisky
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Todd Prince, How Two U.S. Religious Aid Workers May Have Helped A Ukrainian Tycoon Launder Millions Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 19 August 2020, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Molly Boigon, They gave $25 million to Jewish nonprofits. Was some of that money laundered from Ukraine? The Forward, 21 February 2020, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States v. Real Property Located at 55 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio, No. 1:20-cv-25313 (S.D. Fla.), Verified Complaint for Forfeiture In Rem, ECF 1, filed 30 December 2020, paras 13–14 (library copy; no URL held).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Isabel Vincent and Kathianne Boniello, Businessmen accused of Ukraine money laundering gave millions to NY charities New York Post, 6 March 2021, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Optima Ventures LLC, Optima 7171 LLC and Optima 55 Public Square LLC v. United States of America, ICSID Case No. ARB/21/11, case page and Decision on the Respondent's Objection under Arbitration Rule 41(5), 19 January 2024, paras 41 and 46 (library copies).
- ↑ United States v. Approximately $9,105,221.62 in Funds (Plus Interest) ... Representing 95% of the Net Proceeds from the Sale of the Real Property Located at 500 West Jefferson Street, Louisville, KY, No. 1:20-cv-23278 (S.D. Fla.), United States' Motion to Stay Case No. 20-CV-23279 Pending Resolution of a Related Criminal Investigation, ECF 201, 18 May 2023, pp. 1–2 (library copy; no URL held).
- ↑ Korf v. United States Department of State, No. 1:25-cv-20830-MOORE/Elfenbein (S.D. Fla.), Report and Recommendation, ECF 38, 1 June 2026, pp. 1–3 (library copy; no URL held).