Report: $10 billion may have been laundered through N.Y. bank.

As much as $10 billion may have been laundered through one of the nation_s largest banks in what investigators say is an operation run by Russian organized crime, The New York Times reported Thursday. Some $4.2 billion alone passed through a single account at the Bank of New York in more than 10,000 transactions between October and March, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified investigators. The bank has suspended two senior officers in its Eastern European division - Natasha Gurfinkel Kagalovsky of New York and Lucy Edwards of London - pending the outcome of the investigation. Ms. Kagalovsky declined comment, while an aide to Ms. Edwards said she was traveling. The newspaper said both women are married to Russian businessmen; one of them, Peter Berlin, the husband of Ms. Edwards, is believed to have controlled one of the bank accounts. Investigators here and abroad have long examined whether front companies are raising money in North America for organized crime activities in Russia. The accounts under scrutiny at the Bank of New York have been linked to S. Mogilevich, who is believed to be a major figure in Russian organized crime, the Times said. Money laundering refers to the practice of moving criminal profits through various bank accounts to make it appear as if the funds are legitimate. The Times said investigators believe some of the money in this case went to contract killers and drug barons.