Latest: Corruption and Money Laundering.

U.S. investigates Russian agent over bribery, corruption

United States law enforcement authorities are investigating a Russian sports agent based in New York on suspicion of bribery and corruption, sources tell The New York Times.

Russian Athletics

The agent, Andrey Baranov, who lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side, has been under surveillance by federal authorities. Sources tell the newspaper that investigators are trying to determine whether Baranov conspired with organizers of American marathons, including the New York City Marathon, to allow runners to used banned substances while competing.

The operation is part of a broader investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into doping. The probe includes the FBI and investigators from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York.

Federal officials also are looking into possible racketeering and money-laundering schemes involving the organizers of major American track events.

The news about Baranov comes as elite athletes from all over the world are arriving in New York for Sunday's marathon.

According to the Times' report, Baranov, who has been described in the past as a whistleblower who exposed cheating and corruption in track and field, has not been charged with any crimes.

Baranov, on Thursday, said he was not aware of the government's probe. Baranov denied he is involved in any criminal activity, telling the Times he has "absolutely not" entered doping athletes in U.S. races, nor made inappropriate payments to race officials.

A New York City Marathon spokesman, meanwhile, said race officials also know nothing about criminal activities within their organization, and that Baranov had not bribed anyone in the group.

In keeping with international authorities who have banned Russian athletes from competition, no Russians are registered to run in Sunday's marathon. Baranov said none of his clients are registered to run, either.

The Justice Department was investigating state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes, with an emphasis on those who might aid competitors in the U.S. who are doping, or used the nation's banks to fund doping schemes -- the Times reported in May. Grigory Rodchenkov, former head of Russia's anti-doping lab, told the newspaper the Russian government was running a program to help its athletes use banned substances and avoid detection.

More than 100 Russian athletes were banned from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Eastern European athletes who participated in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games also faced discipline, after their urine samples were retested.

Federal authorities, according to the Times, are looking into whether race officials have been bribed to allow athletes to compete while using banned performance-enhancing drugs, and whether doped athletes have consciously been entered into competitions, which legally could be considered fraud. The track investigation reportedly is focusing on the agents for track athletes, like Baranov, and whether they might be laundering money through American banks.

The investigation is similar to criminal inquiries into FIFA, soccer's scandal-ridden governing body. Eighteen people connected to the FIFA investigation have been convicted on charges ranging from bribery and racketeering to money laundering and wire fraud.

While the investigation centers on Russian agents, if it is found that payments being used for illegal purposes are being made through American banks, the U.S. government can claim jurisdiction over the alleged crimes.

In fact, Rodchenkov also is facing scrutiny by U.S. officials, though he fled to the United States in 2015 and has provided investigators with information.

Baranov, 50, who moved to New York in the 1990s, according to the Times, and has competed in the New York City Marathon six times, runs the Spartanik Running School. It was founded in 2003 to help boost Eastern European athletes in Olympic competitions.

Baranov has represented a number of high-profile runners, including some top finishers in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago, who have failed drug tests. One of his clients -- Liliya Shobukhov -- who won the Chicago Marathon in 2009, 2010 and 2011, was accused by Baranov of paying officials to conceal doping violations that allowed her to compete in the 2012 Summer Games. She was later stripped of several titles.

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