A Brooklyn man has admitted guilt in a million-dollar drug dealing scheme involving cocaine meant for sale on the East End.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney announced Tuesday that Michael Khodorkovskiy pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the second degree, a felony that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Mr. Khodorkovskiy, 44, and a co-defendant, Alexandr Dyatchin of East Hampton, 39, were arrested on Aug. 2, 2024, following an investigation in which undercover officers were able to buy "significant quantities of cocaine," Mr. Tierney said in a press release. Mr. Dyatchin's case is still making its way through Suffolk County Criminal Court.
According to Mr. Tierney, the investigation revealed that the two defendants sought to have the cocaine "redistributed in East Hampton and Montauk during the busy summer months when the Hamptons experience a high influx of visitors and tourists."
Mr. Khodorkovskiy admitted to selling cocaine both in Brooklyn near his residence and in East Hampton at a Newtown Lane address.
At the time of his arrest last August, Mr. Khodorkovskiy allegedly had one-and-a-quarter kilos of the drug in his possession. The Star previously reported that police later discovered a "trap," or hidden compartment, in his Mercedes Benz, where they found additional cocaine as well as the narcotic known a MDMA. Police also confiscated cash and gold coins valued at more than $138,550 while searching Mr. Khodorkovskiy's apartment.
"Our East End is not a dumping ground for dangerous narcotics from New York City," Mr. Tierney said in a statement Tuesday. "This guilty plea demonstrates our commitment to disrupting the flow of dangerous narcotics anywhere into Suffolk County. I would particularly like to thank all of our partners in the East End Drug Task Force for their hard work on this investigation."
Mr. Khodorkovskiy initially faced at least nine felony charges, which were reduced to one through a plea deal on Monday by Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins. The defendant faces 10 years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. Investigators also seized $395,055 from his bank accounts, which Mr. Khodorkovskiy has forfeited as part of the plea deal.
He is due back in court for sentencing on May 29. His attorney, Matthew Myers, could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.