The Russian Space Station Mir has seen its financial troubles splashed across newspapers from Washington to Moscow, but thought things were looking up when a Welsh-born businessman allegedly offered to pay US$100 million for a ride on Mir. Little did they know that Peter Llewellyn had an arrest record in the United States, and allegations of fraud on three continents.

Llewellyn has denied that he offered the contribution. Russian space officials have said that $100 million would cover their operating costs for a year.

Llewellyn claimed he was riding on Mir as part of an effort to raise money for a children's hospital in Russia, but space agency officials doggedly stuck to their claim that he had promised to pay for the trip.

He was even profiled in Time magazine as the great white hope for the Russian space agency.

Llewellyn began training for the trip on 21 May, but on 25 May the head of the training center announced that he had been dropped from the program, since financial arrangements hadn't yet been resolved.

Born in Wales, Llewellyn has left business partners in the United States and Australia bitter.

Many of those who have complained publicly now refuse to discuss Llewellyn on the record, saying he uses litigation to silence any opponents.

"There's this whole history of people he's left damaged," said one former business partner. "He never stops lying."

Llewellyn was arrested in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 10 December 1996. James Conn, the arresting officer, paints him as a slippery character, who bullies his way into business deals.

"He defrauded a local businessman with alleged offshore investments," Conn said. "He's such a great confidence man ... understandable that they were taken in by him."

Conn said that in addition to the arrest in Pittsburgh on five counts of theft by deception, the FBI's Ohio field office was investigating Llewellyn. An FBI spokesman said he could not comment on open investigations.

Llewellyn avoided a conviction in Pittsburgh by paying off the man bringing the charges, Conn said.

Llewellyn, whose primary business is in waste composting both in the United States and now in Russia, has been dubbed by the Russian press "The Garbage King."

The Aussies' name for him is less nice: "Lord of the Loo."

While the allegations appear to follow Llewellyn wherever he goes, from Pittsburgh to Perth to Moscow, he has managed to keep his profile clean enough to attract the goodwill of Energia, the Russian company responsible for maintaining Mir.

He was even granted a position as vice president of one of Energia's subsidiaries.

In light of Llewellyn's failure to come up with the $100 million, Russian authorities are acknowledging what others have reported all along: "He's a profiteer with whom it's better to not have contact," one official told the BBC.

Many of those who claim to have been injured by Llewellyn hope that such a high-profile exposure will bring an end to his alleged dirty dealings.

"His world is crumbling around him," said the former business partner. "Mir was his last con in the sky."

Related Wired Links:



Moscow's Mea Culpa

16.Feb.99

Mir's Demise May Be Near

12.Feb.99

Mir's Mirror a No-Go

4.Feb.99

Mir's Hope: Shed Light on Earth

3.Feb.99

Cosmonauts Hit Meteorite Showers

6.Nov.98

Mir's Life Shortened

2.Jul.98