BORN IDENTITY: The man now known as Jan Neumann was once an officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
AS AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER in Russia’s Federal Security Service, Jan Neumann knew the weight of a loaded Makarov 9 mm. When he later worked for a Moscow bank that laundered money for the mob, he also knew the weight of $1 million packed into bricks. But on a spring night in 2008, as he headed home to his wife, he could scarcely comprehend the weight of his impending troubles.
Jan had just walked out of a meeting with a shady bank partner, who explained that the mob and its government associates were after him; he had learned too much about their double-dealing and greed. The partner offered a few ways out. Option one called for Jan to “be an officer Russian slang for putting a bullet in his own skull. Option two: He could wait for someone to do it for him. Option three: He could run like hell.