[trhway]

who says what crime doesn't pay? He stuffed away about $0.5M and got an immigration to US in less than it takes most professionals. All the downside is 33 months in US prison. And no, Belarus wouldn't torture him, he isn't a dissident, though some in the KGB/police there would probably try to press him to pay the "tax" from his profits - such possibility isn't a valid cause of asylum in the most Western countries.

On the other side - that Boston gangster, "Whitey", was allowed even to kill people as long as he was informing for FBI, so immigration is just a peanuts compare to it.