Russian oligarch Sergei Grishin, also known as the “Scarface Oligarch,” was pronounced dead on Monday, March 6th. He passed away at the age of 56 in a Moscow hospital due to sepsis caused by “circulatory problems in the brain.”

Grishin is the latest high-profile businessperson to die under suspicious circumstances. Since 2014, there has been a series of Russian oligarch deaths that escalated further after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. 

After nearly 40 Russian businessmen (and sometimes their families) were found dead in questionable circumstances, The Atlantic coined the phenomenon, "Sudden Russian Death Syndrome."

Although he has not publicly voiced opposition to the war, Grishin has long been a critic of Putin. He has even previously asked the former president Donald Trump for asylum and a US passport, stating, “I want to be safe. I am kind of under fire right now by the criminal world of Russia …. by the top government officials.”

His request was never granted, and Grishin ended up spending his last years back in his home country.

Grishin was also the former owner of the Chateau of Riven Rock, the current Montecito home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The Sussexes have received plenty of criticism following their departure from the royal family and some believe Grishin could attract even more negative attention to the couple.

Grishin’s sudden death, plus his sketchy history, has raised questions about whether his passing was accidental.

The Story of Scarface

Grishin’s “Scarface” nickname, despite his biography, comes from a non-sinister story. He received the title after purchasing the mansion that served as the key filming location of Al Pacino’s Hollywood blockbuster Scarface. 

However, he is infamous for a number of reasons and has not been ashamed to admit his crimes in the past.

Grishin has previously boasted about orchestrating a $60 billion bank heist in the early 1990s, calling it “the largest bank fraud scheme ever.” He has also partaken in another monetary scam involving invisible ink on bank checks. 

“I stole a lot in Estonia and Russia. It was the largest fraud scheme because no one knew exactly how much money was stolen,” Grishin confessed in a video aboard his private jet, explaining that he wanted people to know that it was him that, “cause[d] the collapse of the Russian banking system.”

While these scams are suspected to be a large source of his net worth, he did make a decent income as a co-owner of RosEvroBank.

In addition, Grishin was known for making threats to several women, including his ex-wife Anna Fedoseeva and former girlfriend Ekaterina Loginova.

Loginova has confirmed this and was surprised that the Sussexes chose to purchase their home from the oligarch, given the controversy associated with his name. 

"I like Meghan and Harry - they do not deserve any such problems,” she said in a statement, adding, “I was just shocked they did not check the seller before the transaction.”

Royal Estate

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex purchased their current home from Grishin in 2020, soon after relocating to California. They scooped up the mansion for a cool $14.65 million, far below its previous selling price of $25 million back in 2009.

Although the discount is claimed to be due to flooding issues on the property, critics of Harry and Meghan were quick to conjure up conspiracies, especially since they had previously rented out an estate on Vancouver Island linked to another controversial Russian billionaire, Yuri Milner, during their stay in Canada.

Outside of a real estate transaction, the Sussexes reportedly have no connection with Grishin. However, Meghan could possibly be tied to Milner through mutual friends.

The Sussexes are still residing in the Montecito estate with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Diana. Lilibet was christened on Friday, March 3rd in an intimate ceremony making famed actor/director Tyler Perry her godfather.