Tricks up his sleeve

Popov got played, but he was no fool himself. He wanted to have the upper hand, and so, the prey became the hunter. He used colloquialisms in his mother tongue to warn his connections about his situation. It was his way to give the FBI the middle finger that he believed they deserved. The bureau eventually caught wind of the ploy after the logs were translated and he was immediately thrown in jail.

Not the end

Popov put up a brave and defiant front, but deep down he was scared. He thought that this was the end of him. Thanks to an FBI agent from California named Ernest “EJ” Hilbert, Popov was once again needed. Hilbert knew that the Ukrainian was their best weapon, and he did his best to make a deal with the bureau in order to gain Popov’s services once more.