Crime Time

A SLAVIC HANNIBAL?

He picked up his victims at bus stops and other public places, lured them into the woods, killed them, cut them up and possibly ate parts of them. Citizens of the former Soviet Union have only recently become accustomed to reading about everyday crimes in the once rigidly controlled press. Now they are following the trial of a man the newspapers have called “the century’s most depraved mass murderer.”

Andrei Chikatilo — identified only as “Ch” in the press until his trial began last week — was arrested in November 1990 after one of the biggest manhunts in the Soviet Union’s history. The suspect, 56, is a father and grandfather from Rostov-on-Don who worked as a teacher of literature before accusations that he molested a student led to his dismissal. He is charged with killing 53 young men and women in 12 years but has confessed to even more. The trial is expected to last several weeks or months; if convicted, Chikatilo is likely to get the death penalty.

BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE A BILLION?

A federal prosecutor called it “the mother of all kiting schemes.” No exaggeration. New York car dealer John McNamara allegedly borrowed $1.75 billion last year alone from G.M.A.C., General Motors’ financing subsidiary. The money, he said, went to buy and refurbish cars to be shipped overseas. But the vehicles didn’t exist. McNamara allegedly pocketed the money, defrauding GM of $436 million before auditors finally caught on.

Prosecutors say McNamara was running a gigantic Ponzi scheme, covering bad loans by taking out bigger ones. He was charged with mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, and faces a possible prison sentence of as long as 30 years. McNamara has pledged most of his wealth — including homes in New York and Florida and a private jet — to make bail, set at a stunning $300 million. /