U.S. goes after Brothers' Circle members The U.S. Treasury Department building. WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department Wednesday moved to freeze the assets of five people it says are key members or associates of the Brothers' Circle crime syndicate. The department's designations included the Eurasian criminal organization's leader, Temuri Mirzoyev, along with Brothers' Circle members Lasha Shushanashvili, Vladimir Vagin and Koba Shemazashvili. Kakhaber Shushanashvili was designated for acting for, on behalf of or providing support to Lasha Shushanashvili, the department said. "This action marks the next step in Treasury's ongoing efforts to target major transnational criminal organizations," Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said in a release. Today's designations expose links among these criminals and serve to protect the United States financial system from their illicit activity. Under the designation action, Treasury officials can freeze any assets the named individuals may have within the jurisdiction of the United States and prohibit any transactions with them by Americans. The department said the Brothers' Circle is a multi-ethnic criminal organization composed of leaders and senior members of several Eurasian criminal groups largely based in countries of the former Soviet Union but operating in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.