User:Crtew/Bobi Tsankov

Boris Tsankov, also known as Bobi Tsankov, (ca. 1980 – January 5, 2010), a Bulgarian, was working as a journalist for a Bulgarian newspaper and radio host for a Bulgarian radio station, in Sofia, Bulgaria. He had an interest in buying expensive items and this got him into trouble with both the mafia and the police. Most people knew him as fraudulent and untrustworthy because of his inappropriate business schemes.

Personal
Tsankov often reported on the underground Bulgarian Mafia [noinvite]. He had an interest in buying expensive items and this got him into trouble with both the mafia and the police. Most people knew him as fraudulent and untrustworthy because of his inappropriate business schemes. He was also an author. He was a charming young man, but people could never tell if he was telling the truth or something he made up in his imagination [newyorktimes].

Tsankov had been married twice. His first wife, Diana, had filed for a divorce only a few months after getting married. His married his second wife, Yuliya, on November 22, 2009. Just a few short months before his death in January 2010. Yuliya was also a police officer which gave him another link to the police [impunitywatch].

Career
Tsankov was a crime journalist and a radio personality. He also wrote a book titled, The Sea of Mobsters, which caused him to receive death and bomb threats. When he was a radio host, he was very popular. Since he was popular, he got away with many monetary crimes, that involved stealing money from listeners who thought they were participating in a game show. He was caught near the end of his career [BBC].

He was a prominent crime journalist who had ties with both the police and the underground mafia. He was often broke and looked to his resources in the mafia to get “fast” money. This led him to have many enemies who wanted him dead [newyorktimes].

Death
Tsankov was shot and killed on the streets of the Bulgarian capital city, Sofia. He was accompanied by two armed bodyguards. Both body guards were critically wounded, but they survived. Tsankov was said to have been shot four times in the head by two different gunmen at close range. The attack seemed as if it was premeditated and two people were arrested as suspects [newyorktimes].

The top two suspects in this crime are Krassimir and Nikolai Marinov. They were brothers and former wrestling champions. The Marinov brothers had been charged because of connections to many other killings. They were accused of plotting the attack on Tsankov because of their past criminal acts. The two gunmen were not found [newyorktimes].

At the time of his death, Tsankov allegedly owed money to a number of parties who had sponsored his radio program [impunitywatch]. Since Tsankov was in debt to many people, his wife, Yuliya, was kidnapped while pregnant with Tsankov’s unborn daughter (Source 5). The murder of Tsankov shows that the Bulgarian government still has a long way to go before stern organized crime is enforced [index].

Context
Friends of Tsankov said he was drawn to the world of fast cars, Cohiba cigars, automatic weapons and big money at a young age. Tsankov would use his mafia connections to get quick cash, and in return act as a mafia muse, flatterer and hanger-on in order to purchase his desires [newyorktimes].

Since he was desperate for cash, he offered his investigative journalist services to both the mafia and the police. The police ended up sending him to different criminal gangs to disseminate false information in order to destabilize rival groups [newyorktimes]. Tsankov also used his radio talk show to raise money for his schemes, asking listeners to send in money for prizes that were never awarded and sold air time to advertisers who thought he would mention them to his listeners [newyorktimes].

In the summer of 2003, Tsankov was arrested after a complaint from a businesswoman who accused him of stealing the $35,000, she had paid him in cash to advertise her beverage company on billboards in Sofia [newyorktimes].

After Tsankov’s book, The Secrets of the Mobsters, was written, he received numerous death threats. In 2008, Georgi Stoev, an author of various books on Bulgarian organized crime, was killed in a similar attack [BBC].

Tsankov was known as a professional con man and a traitor of both the Bulgarian Police Force and the Bulgarian Mafia [newyorktimes].

Impact
Tsankov was a well-known individual in Bulgarian. People either knew him as a journalist and radio host or a fraudulent businessman. Most people knew him as a blackmailing, stealing and dubious con-man. He caused many issues in the Underground Bulgarian Mafia and the Police Force since he had links to both and caused confusion and chaos.

He was wanted dead since 2003 because of his criminal mischief [novinite]. His death was important for the Bulgarian Government since it opened up the topic of, Organized Crime, to be debated [index].

Reactions
Many people were unsettled after his death since they believed justice had not been served.

One woman, Vania Chervenkova, gave Tsankov $35,000 to advertise her beverage company on billboards in Sofia. Tsankov ended up stealing her money and not going through with their agreement [newyorktimes].

Chervenkova accused Tsankov of theft shortly after, and many weeks later, she was shot six times in the head, neck, arms, and stomach while she was grocery shopping. She believes Tsankov was behind the attack, but he was not found guilty by law enforcement. She successfully sued him in 2007, but she never received any money [newyorktimes].

In an interview, Chervenkova said, “Chervenkova also said, “Bobi was a professional con man” [newyorktimes]. She also went on to say, “All these attempts to portray his as an investigative journalist who was killed because of his work is an insult to real investigative journalists everywhere” [newyorktimes].

After Tsankov’s death, Chervenkova said, “I’m not satisfied by his killing, because with his sudden death he escaped punishment,” she said. “The punishment is for his mother, his wife and his unborn child. And because I was a victim of a violent crime, I don’t think anyone deserves to die like Bobi did. Only God can give and take life” [newyorktimes].

A European Union spokesperson, Mark Gray said, “Any shooting is unacceptable, and we hope that Bulgarian authorities will bring those that have perpetrated this act to justice as quickly as possible” [index].

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