Federal agents arrested nine reputed members of a Brooklyn-based Russian organized crime syndicate early Wednesday, sources said.
The mobsters are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in Brooklyn Federal Court on racketeering, extortion, loansharking, drug trafficking and illegal gambling charges.
The mobsters, acting under the direction of their reputed leader Viktor Zelinger, operated in Coney Island and Brighton Beach, sources said.
The crime syndicate has roots in The Soviet Union and still maintains ties to the Russian homeland, a source said.
