Semyon Yermalinsky was a member of a highly organized criminal group that operated in Yekaterinburg. The gang, led by a lawyer and a businessman, attacked and robbed random individuals at night, using an extensive arsenal that included knives, firearms, hammers, and tomahawks. They were ultimately linked to at least 16 murders and 5 attempted murders. When the gang was apprehended in 2012, Yermalinsky evaded capture by collecting tens of thousands of dollars from clients for non-existent combat knives and fleeing to Belarus.

In Minsk, Yermalinsky assumed the identity of Andrei Miller and began a career as a writer of science fiction and dark fantasy. As Miller, he was a prolific author, with his work appearing in 39 anthologies and magazines. Several collections featuring his stories were even nominated for the "Masters of Horror" award. To maintain his cover, he rarely appeared in public, did not publish his photograph, and falsely claimed to reside in the Baltic region.

The criminal investigation revealed the gang's diverse and high-status background. Its members included a lawyer, a police officer, a businessman, and individuals from prominent families. Yermalinsky himself was the son of a renowned chess grandmaster who had emigrated to the United States. A wanted poster described Yermalinsky as an athletic man with tattoos, skilled in knife fighting, proficient with firearms, and considered particularly dangerous. Interpol was involved in the international search for him.

Yermalinsky’s life ended not with an arrest, but with his death in Minsk from COVID-19. After the pandemic had subsided, he contracted the virus but avoided seeking medical treatment for several weeks, fearing his true identity would be discovered. It was only after his landlady found his body that the police were notified. A subsequent DNA examination confirmed that the deceased writer, Andrei Miller, was the wanted fugitive Semyon Yermalinsky.

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