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An elite Portuguese unit is now investigating financial dealings involving the producer of an upcoming Kevin Spacey film and an accused crypto fraudster.
- Portugal’s Central Department of investigation and Penal Action is overseeing the probe.
- The investigation began after banks flagged unusual activity in the producer’s accounts, including a $312,000 cash deposit.
- The producer, Elvira Gavrilova Paterson, promoted the alleged crypto schemes of Vladimir Okhotnikov, who faces fraud charges in multiple countries.
- Okhotnikov’s latest platform, Meta Whale, is drawing scrutiny from regulators in Vietnam, Australia, and Canada.
An elite unit of Portugal’s Public Prosecutor’s office has taken over a money laundering probe into Elvira Gavrilova Paterson, the Ukrainian producer of an upcoming Kevin Spacey film. The investigation centers on potential links between Paterson and Vladimir Okhotnikov,a Russian national accused of orchestrating a massive cryptocurrency fraud. The case gained momentum after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) “Coin Laundry” investigation exposed Okhotnikov’s activities.
probe Intensifies After Suspicious Transactions
The Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action, which handles complex crimes, will assume control of the criminal inquiry launched last year. Two Portuguese banks initially raised concerns after detecting unusual financial movements in Gavrilova’s accounts, including a cash deposit of approximately $312,000, according to reports.
ICIJ’s reporting revealed that, in 2024 and 2025, Gavrilova, through her public relations firm Elledgy Media, organized lavish events worldwide to promote Okhotnikov’s start-ups. Thes ventures are alleged to be fraudulent crypto investment schemes that have reportedly attracted around $1 billion from millions of investors.
From Film Sets to Fraud Allegations
Okhotnikov, who co-produced “The Portal of Force,” a sci-fi film starring Eric Roberts, Dolph Lundgren, and Tyrese Gibson, with Kevin Spacey directing and acting, used Gavrilova to promote his ventures, including at high-profile events during the Cannes and Venice film festivals.
Bank records reviewed by ICIJ showed that Elledgy Media received at least $1.2 million in 2024 to produce “The Portal of Force,” with Kevin Spacey directing and acting. The film’s Lisbon premiere, originally scheduled for december 2025, was canceled without explanation following ICIJ’s revelations about Gavrilova’s ties to Okhotnikov.
A Surge in Revenue and Suspicious Companies
ICIJ and reports indicate that Elledgy’s revenue considerably increased after Gavrilova began working with Okhotnikov. As of May 2025, the PR firm had received at least $4 million in payments from over a dozen companies based in Germany, the U.K., Belgium, and Spain. These entities included two Berlin-based courier services that wired hundreds of thousands of dollars to Elledgy-one wired at least $640,000 and the other more than $770,000-between October 2024 and March 2025.
Several other companies, officially registered as limousine services, couriers, or construction firms, lacked websites, had outdated financial statements, and shared the same address, raising suspicions of shell companies. Reporters visited the official addresses of six companies in Berlin, Dortmund, and Madrid, finding only mailboxes in co-working spaces and no signs of business activity.
according to reports, the transfer of the investigation into Gavrilova’s Portuguese business to the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action underscores the case’s importance to Portuguese authorities.
Gavrilova, who recently attended a gala at U.S.President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, did not respond to questions about the probe.
