Who are you, Grisha Vinnikov? A Russian channel passed off a fraudster who fled New York as an American expert. Who exactly is Grigory Vinnikov?

Nowadays, you probably won’t surprise anyone with characters with extremely complicated biographies, whose faces often appear on TV. For example, in the biography of US journalist Greg Weiner, you can find many interesting stories. Some of them have recently become public knowledge. Now in Russia, many viewers are interested in the biography and personal life of Greg Weiner. But why has this man become so popular now? And what really stands behind the biography of US journalist Greg Weiner?

Some details

Not long ago, the named person was introduced to a large audience as an American journalist and began to appear on Russian television channels. One of the American’s acquaintances, seeing his face on one of the talk shows, was quite surprised and even discouraged. After all, the man saw in front of him a person who was engaged in a completely different activity and, in addition, had a different name.

Greg's friends and neighbors were confused by the fact that the man simply changed his last name and first name. And so, when the truth began to seep out, many Russian residents became truly interested in the biography of US journalist Greg Weiner. Photos of this person are increasingly appearing on the Internet and on the pages of newspapers, attracting more and more attention.

How did Weiner end up in Russia?

In fact, the famous today Greg Weiner, whose biography and photo are presented in our article, is a Russian businessman. He once managed a branch of his travel agency in the United States and at birth received the first and last name Grigory Vinnikov. Due to huge debts and difficulties in business, Gregory had to close his own business and return to his homeland - Russia.

Life in the USA

In America, Vinnikov developed quite a vigorous activity. In the 90s, he opened his own business - a travel company specializing in the sale of air tickets and assistance in processing all necessary documents for the Russian diaspora. Gregory's business developed successfully until 2012 - by this time he had accumulated impressive debts for renting expensive premises in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Shortly before the collapse of the travel agency, Vinnikov founded another company that provided legal assistance to Americans. Grigory still owes the clients of this company considerable amounts of money. In addition, many of his clients complain that the swindler stole from them not only funds under the pretext of obtaining visas and passports, but also very valuable documents.

After the unexpected ruin, Vinnikov had to close his offices, leave the United States and return to Russia. Already at home, he learned that he had a serious illness - cancer. Here the failed businessman underwent therapy and remained to live.

Having contacted his comrades in America, Vinnikov said that he would pay off all debts as soon as his property in New Jersey was sold. A class-action civil lawsuit was organized against Grigory, but after it became clear that the businessman had fled, the case was suspended due to complex Russian-American relations.

By the way, if you search well, you can find an interesting article in a newspaper called “The Seagull.” Here you can also find out about the biography of Greg Weiner. New York journalist Vladimir Kozlovsky describes in some detail the activities of the fraudster in the United States and his actions after the financial collapse.

Greg Wagner's appearance in public

In fact, Greg Weiner's biography dates back to his first appearance in the Russian public. Having appeared on a Russian TV channel, Grigory decided to acquire an American pseudonym. This is how the now famous Greg was born.

The newly minted American journalist was invited to one of the Channel One projects as an expert. During the program, the presenter did not tell the audience Weiner’s occupation and place of work - the specific name of the publication was hidden. In addition, one feature could not escape the attention of the audience: the American spoke Russian surprisingly clearly and absolutely without an accent. Vinnikov’s acquaintance told the truth about the impostor journalist in social network. It was here that the veil of secrecy over the biography of Greg Weiner was lifted: it turned out that the former businessman simply stole his clients’ money and fled to St. Petersburg.

Vinnikov's activities

Behind last years Grigory managed to appear on several Russian shows: for example, on NTV and “Open Studio” on Channel Five.

But Greg Weiner proved himself as a journalist back in America. While in the USA, he organized round tables at which Russian-speaking politicians and journalists discussed the most important issues. Weiner was regularly invited to various programs as a political commentator. That is, Vinnikov is precisely an analyst with a sufficient level of knowledge. But there are no articles in his luggage. According to Vinnikov himself, the profession of a journalist is not at all fictitious - he actually graduated from the corresponding faculty in the States.

In 2003, Grigory Vinnikov developed and proposed the “Contact” project to RTN. But after just a month, he refused to be the host of this program because he could not keep up with the daily schedule.

The further fate of the impostor

It is unknown how exactly Vinnikov got into Russian TV channels and the press. Gregory himself, in most cases, simply remains silent, once again proving that Greg Weiner’s biography probably has dark spots.

By the way, according to Russian legislation, a notorious swindler faces absolutely nothing, since domestic laws differ significantly from American law.

A Russian talk show on Channel One features a man who is introduced as “US journalist Greg Weiner.” But he turned out to be not a journalist, but a Russian-speaking businessman whose name is Grigory Vinnikov. Moreover, a businessman with a bad reputation: he disappeared from New York 5 years ago along with the money of many clients who consider him a fraudster.

“Medusa” tried to understand this story.

On April 18, the host of the “Contact” program on the American Russian-language television channel RTN, Alexander Grant, turned on the TV in the Moscow hotel where he found himself during a business trip - he became interested in what his Russian colleagues were talking about. Channel One aired “First Studio,” Artem Sheinin’s daily political talk show. As always, it was loud in the studio - they were discussing the escalation of the situation around North Korea and its opposition to the United States. A minute after the broadcast began, Grant heard a familiar voice. “I’ll tell you, as if it were a family member, don’t tell anyone. Quiet! - the guest, who was introduced as journalist Greg Weiner, captured the attention of the presenter. “A trade quarantine will be introduced against North Korea!”

Grant could do no wrong. He had known Greg Weiner for 20 years. And not only him: the “journalist” was generally well known to the New York Russian-speaking community - only under a different name.

As another American TV presenter Gennady Katsov said, he knew Weiner as Grigory Vinnikov, who emigrated to the USA from the USSR back in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Vinnikov opened a travel company in America Eastern Tours Consolidated, which was engaged in the sale of air tickets to Russia and back and assistance in obtaining visas. The business was going well until 2012, when Vinnikov accumulated debt for renting office space in Brooklyn and Manhattan. After this, the businessman disappeared and the offices were closed, Katsov claims.

The situation was complicated by the fact that shortly before bankruptcy, Vinnikov’s company also began providing a variety of legal services- for example, registration of Russian pensions. He took documents from some clients: so, according to the publication RuNYWeb, journalist Valentina Pechorina paid about $600 to renew her Russian passport, and the former owner of the Novoe Russian word» Valery Vainberg - $650 for an urgent visa to Russia.

According to Katsov, in the fall of 2012, Vinnikov called him and several other Russian journalists in New York and said that he had fled to his homeland due to financial collapse - at some point he allegedly “even wanted to throw himself from the balcony.” He promised to pay people when he received money for a penthouse put up for sale in New Jersey.

Another American journalist, Seva Kaplan, told Meduza that he was going to become the organizer of a collective civil lawsuit by victims, but when it turned out that Vinnikov was in Russia, no one went to court, because American and Russian jurisdictions “intersect very difficult.” Katsov told Meduza that Vinnikov still owes him $10 thousand, which Katsov paid the entrepreneur for arranging visas for musicians - 2 weeks before Vinnikov disappeared.

Meduza contacted Grigory Vinnikov himself. He claims that he has returned documents to all clients, but cannot pay off his debts because a buyer for the penthouse has not yet been found. “If it ever sells, I will be happy to compensate debts to clients - if there is at least something left after paying off debts and loans,” Vinnikov said, separately stipulating that not a single lawsuit has been filed against him.

Vinnikov claims that he quit his business and left for Russia not only for financial reasons.

“I was sick for 2 years, I came here, and here I was already diagnosed with rectal cancer,” says a former businessman who, after a course of treatment, remained to live in St. Petersburg.

Vinnikov considers it normal that in television programs he is called a journalist: this was his specialty at the university, in addition, “from time to time” he appeared on radio and television.

Gennady Katsov confirms: back in the 1980s, before going into business, Vinnikov organized round tables in America at which Russian-speaking politicians and media representatives discussed current issues; sometimes he was called on air in the 2000s - including Katsov himself in his “Press Club” program, where he presented Vinnikov as a political commentator.

“He is quite articulate and sufficiently informed, in this regard I have no complaints against him,” said Katsov. - He is not a writing journalist, he has never written any articles. But his analytical apparatus is quite developed.”

According to the TV presenter, it was Vinnikov who came up with the “Contact” program in 2003 and proposed it American channel RTN - however, after a month he refused to conduct it, unable to maintain the daily schedule. He was replaced, in particular, by the same Alexander Grant, who many years later noticed the entrepreneur on the air of Channel One.

“I didn’t run away or hide anywhere,” Vinnikov told Meduza. “I don’t look like an idiot who thinks that he won’t be noticed on federal channels.” Vinnikov does not tell how he got on Russian television. At the same time, according to him, one day the producers of one of the channels asked him to “Americanize” his first and last name - so he became Greg Weiner. When asked if he makes money from his appearances in political talk shows, Vinnikov-Vainer refused to answer.

Host of the Open Studio program Inna Karpushina on Channel Five, where the expert appeared Greg Weiner, told Meduza that she does not participate in the selection of program experts invited by producers. She declined to comment further. Channel One also declined to comment.

Russian television has been broadcasting programs with a political and entertainment slant for several years now. Their popularity is quite high. And not least thanks to the characters involved. Some have become practically family, although you can hardly expect anything from them except tubs of dirt poured onto our country. But such is their role as “bad boys.” Now remove such odious personalities as or from TV screens, and things will immediately change. Nevertheless, the scriptwriters of these programs are trying to “pour fresh blood” into their projects so that the viewer does not get tired of the same faces of experts and political scientists. From time to time, new artists are introduced into the frame. Among these not yet very familiar faces is the one that belongs to the American journalist Greg Weiner. At the same time, the American speaks pure Russian, which clearly identifies him as our former compatriot. Russian TV viewers have already dubbed him “new”.

Who are you, Mr. Weiner?

They say that one of the American tourists, TV presenter Alexander Grant, wanting to know how his Russian colleagues work, while watching Russian television, accidentally came across a certain talk show. Where I was surprised to see my old friend. For some reason, the acquaintance was introduced as Greg Weiner, although in the USA he is known by a different name and surname, and not at all as an international journalist...

It turned out that the real name of the talkative expert and the new “star” of programs like “Time will tell” is Grigory Vinnikov. He is a Russian businessman. For some time he lived in the States and worked in the tourism industry, or rather, he scammed Russian-speaking American citizens. According to the testimony of the one who identified him, Grisha developed commercial activities overseas on a grand scale. Back in the 90s, Vinnikov-Weiner opened the company Eastern Tours Consolidated, which was engaged in issuing visas and selling air tickets. The business flourished, but the would-be businessman went broke renting commercial space in Brooklyn and Manhattan. At the same time, he founded a company to provide legal assistance to everyone and borrowed considerable sums for this business. When the debts accumulated too much, Vinnikov declared bankruptcy, closed his shop and headed back to the Russian Federation. Here he was diagnosed with cancer, which became a formal reason to stay. By the way, the former businessman promises to repay existing debts to US clients by selling his American real estate. According to another version, he was going to earn money in Russia and pay off creditors.

Now Grigory lives in St. Petersburg, but from now on he literally settled in Moscow due to a new turn in his destiny. Now he is Greg Weiner, a journalist from the United States who defends the ideas of liberalism in Putin’s Russia.

Weiner's biography is shrouded in darkness. What we managed to find in the depths of the Internet boils down to only one thing - that this is a fraudster who fled from the “realm of democracy” to “terrible Mordor.” Whether he is married, not married, what he worked for before leaving abroad - nothing is known. What is certain is that he first immigrated to Canada in the 70s. Then two years later he moved to the USA. He probably graduated from the Soviet journalism department before emigrating, which gives him the moral right to call himself a representative of the journalistic guild. There are rumors that Greg was offered to become the host of one of the TV shows in the States, but he refused due to his busy work schedule.

Prone to depression and suicide. After failures in business, he almost committed suicide by throwing himself off a balcony.

The producers of those programs where Gregory is called as an expert asked him to Americanize his first and last name.

According to those who know Vinnikov well, he could really become a great journalist; he has everything for this: a talent for analytics, the ability to clearly express thoughts, and a wealth of knowledge on various issues.

Statements by Greg Weiner

About myself: “I didn’t run away or hide anywhere. I don’t look like an idiot who thinks that he won’t be noticed on federal channels.”

On President Trump: “He responds to everything emotionally, like a human being, not like a political mummy, a product of the political system.”

About the USA: “The whole world is chasing America, but America is still ahead.”

About the Americans: “A country without slobbering, and its inhabitants are not sentimental.”

Statement about Greg Weiner

Andrey Norkin: “Greg was a Jew here, and when he moved to the USA, he immediately became Russian.”

Human life is unpredictable. We never have any idea what tomorrow has in store for us. Often on federal channels, viewers notice characters with a complicated biography, those who are hiding behind someone else’s image. What is behind these mysterious stories? American journalist Greg Weiner has many life situations. Some of them have recently become known to the public. The biography of US journalist Greg Weiner is especially relevant now.

Preface

Recently, Greg Weiner, the hero of the article, presented on television political programs as a journalist, began to appear on Russian television screens. An acquaintance of Greg's once saw a political talk show where a man was announced as an American journalist and was surprised. Some viewers recognized him as a completely different person, engaged in a different activity. It is also worth noting that Greg Weiner, a journalist, changed his first and last name, which further surprised his neighbors and acquaintances. On this moment The biography of US journalist Greg Weiner has become interesting to many.

Who exactly is Grigory Vinnikov?

Who is Greg Weiner? Greg Weiner is a Russian businessman who used to run his own travel company in the United States of America. Real name and surname: Grigory Vinnikov. When the entrepreneur acquired many debts, he was forced to close his business and return back to Russia, his homeland. Currently lives in St. Petersburg. He also provided legal services. Many former clients of Grigory Vinnikov are unhappy that he owes them large sums of money. Greg himself replied that he would repay the debts only when he sold the property in New Jersey, but a buyer had still not been found. Now Grigory Vinnikov is known as a participant in political television programs, where he advocates liberalism.

Life in America

Life in the United States for Grigory Vinnikov was quite active. In the 90s, he opened his own travel company, selling air tickets and assisting in obtaining visas. Shortly before the company went bankrupt, Gregory opened a firm providing legal assistance, whose clients he still owes considerable amounts of money to. After failures in his career, Grigory Vinnikov was in a depressed moral state. Soon Grigory Vinnikov NY left. It was decided to return to Russia; now the businessman lives in St. Petersburg. Also at home, he learned about the disease: Gregory was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent treatment in Russia, after which he stayed here.

Gregory's occupation

The biography of US journalist Greg Weiner includes such activities as the creation and development of own business. He was also engaged in the provision of legal services, remaining in debt to the clients of his organization, which caused a lot of indignation against him. Now he is being proclaimed a journalist, with which Grigory agrees, since he claims that he received the education necessary for this, having graduated from the faculty of journalism. Currently, Grigory visits Russian television shows as an American journalist, advocating liberalism. According to rumors, Grigory Vinnikov receives 5 thousand per broadcast. Whether this is true or not, we can only speculate and guess. In the 2000s, a man was often invited to television broadcasts of famous TV shows, but he did not always respond positively to the offers. Grigory Vinnikov was supposed to become the host of one of the programs, but was forced to refuse, realizing that he could not withstand the busy schedule of this profession. The businessman's acquaintances claim that he is well versed in the field of journalism, and therefore has every reason to be called an American journalist.

Reason for returning home

Failures in running his own business in the United States of America caused many problems for Grigory Vinnikov. The businessman began to experience mental discomfort, sometimes it got to the point that the man wanted to commit suicide. Also, for several years while living in America, he suffered from cancer. Grigory Vinnikov was diagnosed later, in Russia. The man remained in St. Petersburg in order to restore his health and undergo treatment for the disease. After the problems were over, Grigory Vinnikov decided to stay in Russia, in the city of St. Petersburg. At the moment, the man still lives in his homeland, where he became known among viewers of a TV show on federal channels as Greg Weiner, an American journalist.

Drawing conclusions

The biography of US journalist Greg Weiner is rich not only in ups, but also in downs. The man received the profession of a journalist, therefore, according to him and according to his acquaintances, he has the right to be called one. In the 80s, Grigory Vinnikov changed the country in which he lived to the United States of America. He opened his own travel company, which was successful, but eventually suffered failures, which is why it had to be closed.

Attempts to create a company to provide legal assistance also ended unsuccessfully, and the owner himself remained indebted to the organization’s clients. Having returned to Russia due to health problems and poor state of mind, Grigory Vinnikov decided to try himself as a journalist, since he has the necessary education for this. The man introduces himself as Greg Weiner in the American manner. He attends popular Russian television programs that are broadcast on federal channels.

On April 18, the host of the “Contact” program on the American Russian-language television channel RTN, Alexander Grant, turned on the TV in the Moscow hotel where he found himself during a business trip - he became interested in what his Russian colleagues were talking about. On Channel One was walking“First Studio” is a daily political talk show by Artem Sheinin. As always, it was loud in the studio - they discussed the worsening situation around North Korea and its confrontation with the United States. A minute after the broadcast began, Grant heard a familiar voice. “I’ll tell you like a family member, don’t tell anyone. Quiet! - the guest, who was introduced as journalist Greg Weiner, captured the attention of the presenter. “A trade quarantine will be introduced against North Korea!”

Grant could do no wrong. He had known Greg Weiner for 20 years. And not only him: the “journalist” was generally well known to the New York Russian-speaking community - only under a different name. How told Another American TV presenter, Gennady Katsov, knew Weiner as Grigory Vinnikov, who emigrated to the USA from the USSR back in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Vinnikov opened a travel company in America, Eastern Tours Consolidated, which sold air tickets to and from Russia and assisted in obtaining visas. The business was going well until 2012, when Vinnikov accumulated debt for renting office space in Brooklyn and Manhattan. After this, the businessman disappeared and the offices were closed, Katsov claims.

The situation was complicated by the fact that shortly before bankruptcy, Vinnikov’s company also began providing a variety of legal services - for example, registration of Russian pensions. He took documents from some clients: for example, according to RuNYWeb, journalist Valentina Pechorina paid about $600 to renew a Russian passport, and the former owner of the New Russian Word publication Valery Weinberg paid $650 for an urgent visa to Russia.

According to Katsov, in the fall of 2012, Vinnikov called him and several other Russian journalists in New York and said that he had fled to his homeland due to financial collapse - at some point he allegedly “even wanted to throw himself from the balcony.” He promised to pay people when he received money for a penthouse put up for sale in New Jersey.

Another American journalist, Seva Kaplan, told Meduza that he was going to become the organizer of a collective civil lawsuit by victims, but when it turned out that Vinnikov was in Russia, no one went to court, because American and Russian jurisdictions “intersect very difficult.” Katsov told Meduza that Vinnikov still owes him $10,000, which Katsov paid the entrepreneur to arrange visas for musicians two weeks before Vinnikov disappeared.

Meduza contacted Grigory Vinnikov himself. He claims that he has returned documents to all clients, but cannot pay off his debts because a buyer for the penthouse has not yet been found. “If it ever sells, I will be happy to compensate debts to clients - if there is at least something left after paying off debts and loans,” Vinnikov said, separately stipulating that not a single lawsuit has been filed against him.

Vinnikov claims that he quit his business and left for Russia not only for financial reasons. “I was sick for two years, I came here, and here I was already diagnosed with rectal cancer,” says a former businessman who, after a course of treatment, remained to live in St. Petersburg. Vinnikov considers it normal that in television programs he is called a journalist: this was his specialty at the university, in addition, “from time to time” he appeared on radio and television.

Gennady Katsov confirms: back in the 1980s, before going into business, Vinnikov organized round tables in America at which Russian-speaking politicians and media representatives discussed current issues; sometimes he was called on air in the 2000s - including Katsov himself in his “Press Club” program, where he presented Vinnikov as a political commentator.

“He is quite articulate and sufficiently informed, in this regard I have no complaints against him,” said Katsov. - He is not a writing journalist, he has never written any articles. But his analytical apparatus is quite developed.” According to the TV presenter, it was Vinnikov who came up with the “Contact” program in 2003 and offered it to the American channel RTN - but a month later he refused to host it, unable to maintain the daily schedule. He was replaced, in particular, by the same Alexander Grant, who many years later noticed the entrepreneur on the air of Channel One.

News on Channel One

“I didn’t run away or hide anywhere,” Vinnikov told Meduza. “I don’t look like an idiot who thinks that he won’t be noticed on federal channels.” Vinnikov does not tell how he got on Russian television. At the same time, according to him, one day the producers of one of the channels asked him to “Americanize” his first and last name - so he became Greg Weiner. When asked whether he makes money from his appearances on political talk shows, Vinnikov-Weiner refused to answer.

The host of the Open Studio program, Inna Karpushina, on Channel Five, where expert Greg Weiner appeared, told Meduza that she does not participate in the selection of the program’s experts, who are invited by the producers. She declined to comment further. Channel One also declined to comment.