In December 2023, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of two notorious criminals, Iouri Mikhel and Jurijus Kadamovas, who were convicted for a series of heinous kidnappings and murders in the early 2000s. Mikhel and Kadamovas, both Soviet immigrants, operated an aquarium store in the San Fernando Valley, where they masterminded a violent ransom scheme targeting the immigrant community.
Between 2001 and 2002, Mikhel and Kadamovas lured victims with promises of business opportunities, only to kidnap and brutally torture them. The criminals demanded ransoms from their families, ultimately killing five victims. The bodies were dumped near the New Melones Reservoir, north of Yosemite, and the victims’ families were left devastated by their loss.
The victims were:
Meyer Muscatel, 58, Sherman Oaks
Nick Kharabadze, 29, Woodland Hills
Alexander Umansky, 35, Sherman Oaks
Rita Pekler, 39, West Hollywood
George Safiev, 37, Beverly Hills
After a lengthy investigation, the pair was arrested in February 2002, following the trace of an electronic payment linked to their ransom demands. The two men were sentenced to death in 2007, but their sentences were later upheld in 2018 by a federal appeals court. However, in a historic move, President Biden announced on December 23, 2023, that he had commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 individuals on federal death row, including Mikhel and Kadamovas.
These commutations are in line with Biden’s administration policy that seeks to place a moratorium on federal executions, except in cases involving terrorism or mass murder motivated by hate. The decision has caused mixed reactions, with some expressing outrage, particularly in light of the criminals’ gruesome acts. Mikhel and Kadamovas will now serve life sentences in federal prison without the possibility of parole.
This move by President Biden marks a significant shift in federal justice policy, as the commutations come just weeks before President-Elect Donald Trump is scheduled to take office.
