According to court documents, Chopayev, born in the Soviet Union, moved to the United States at the age of twelve. By the age of 20, he had already been involved in organized crime in New York, engaging in extortion, arson, kidnapping, human trafficking and various frauds. After several prison term times for federal convictions, he moved to Atlanta, where he operated a chop shop and later started a car leasing business catering to drug traffickers