FBI Searches New Melones Reservoir in Russian Mafia Case

FBI investigators are at New Melones Reservoir supervising divers as they search for evidence in a three-year-old case with possible connections to Russian organized crime. According to a statement issued by the FBI, the divers are searching the chilly waters for evidence relating to the kidnap and murder of five Los Angeles residents whose bodies were recovered from the reservoir in March 2002. A spokesperson for the agency said the search would take several days. However, the bureau would neither confirm nor deny divers were looking for more bodies and gave no indication what else they might be searching for. Four men were indicted in March 2002 in connection with the crimes. The indictment alleges Iouri Mikhel and Jurijus Kadamovas were involved in the kidnappings. Petro Krylov and Ainar Altmanis are accused of aiding and abetting the crimes. Prosecutors announced last year they are seeking the death penalty against Mikhel, Kadamovas, and Krylov. Prosecutors said they had uncovered evidence that Mikhel and Kadamovas had committed similar murders in Turkey and Cyprus. Two other defendants in the case, Aleksejus Markovskis and Natalya Solovyeva, will not face the death penalty but could be sentenced to life prison if convicted.