Russian organized crime groups are becoming increasingly active in California and a coordinated law enforcement effort is needed to combat them, a report from the state attorney general's office said Friday.

The report said that Russian organized crime groups in California are most commonly involved in fraud schemes, especially "fuel tax frauds" designed to divert fuel tax revenue to the pockets of criminals.Fuel tax frauds cost federal and state governments some $2 billion a year in the United States, it said.

The report said Russian crime groups were also involved in extortion, drugs, murder, car theft, loan-sharking, prostitution as well as insurance, cellular telephone and credit card fraud.

"Organized crime groups such as La Cosa Nostra and the Gambino crime family have attempted to infiltrate California in the past. Now we are seeing an increased presence of organized crime groups from the republics of the former Soviet Union," California Attorney General Dan Lungren said.

He said he hoped the report drew attention to this "growing threat to public safety" before Russian organized crime became a permanent fixture in the most populous state.

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The report concluded that a coordinated law enforcement effort was needed to combat the threat. Already three law enforcement intelligence groups made up of federal, state and local agencies are dedicated to investigating Russian organized crime in California, Lungren said.

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russian organized crime had thrived and had moved beyond Russia's borders, he said. U.S. law enforcement experts have detected a Russian organized crime presence in several states, including California, where many Russian emigres are settling.

The report said officials knew of at least four structured Russian criminal organizations operating in California and the state was experiencing a migration of Russian crime figures from the U.S. East coast.

There are about 300 former Soviet Union crime figures and associates in the San Francisco Bay area and some 600 to 800 in the Los Angeles area, it said.

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