Ray Bulgarin

Ray Bulgarin (1958 - 2008) (Родислав Булгарин) was a 50-year old Russian mobster in both Grand Theft Auto IV and (with a bigger role) The Ballad of Gay Tony. He was an extremely wealthy, powerful Russian crime lord operating across the Adriatic Sea (either Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro or Albania) and Liberty City until he was deported. He returns to seek revenge on Niko Bellic and others involved in the loss of his diamonds.

Prior to Grand Theft Auto IV
Bulgarin was born in 1958 and has a sister named Galina Bulgarin, who he would be highly abusive of later in life (despite buying her a middle-class home in Meadow Hills). As a boy, he was in a wrestling academy.

He immigrated to Liberty City as early as 1976. He began his life as an international criminal by 1989, at age 31 when he was arrested for receiving an entire ship full of Albanian sex slaves. Sometime after, he continued human trafficking across the Adriatic sea, where he also lived in a large mansion on the waterfront (either on the west side in Italy, or more likely the east side in the Balkans region where he would have recruited Niko).

He employed Niko Bellic as early as 1998, who smuggled people into Italy from Eastern Europe, until one run in which the ship sank, and Niko was been forced to abandon ship. Bulgarin blamed Niko for this loss, and sought to hunt him down; Niko joined the merchant navy to escape Bulgarin's influence within Europe, and eventually escaped to Liberty City.

Grand Theft Auto IV
In 2008, Bulgarin returned to Liberty City to expand his business interests, meet his friend Dimitri Rascalov and possibly track down Niko Bellic. Dimitri offered Niko, who was working for him by chance, to Bulgarin without hesitation as a token of friendship; Niko escaped the ambush and Bulgarin still insisted on tracking him down, with Dimitri's help.

Much more about Bulgarin is revealed in Ballad of Gay Tony; he is interested in buying the Liberty City Rampage hockey team from Marki Ashvilli, as well as the Maisonette 9 nightclub from "Gay" Tony Prince. More about his personal lifestyle is also shown - he owns an Oracle, a blue Landstalker (which he sacrifices to kill crooked cops on his case) and a black Marbelle. In his spare time he enjoys playing rock music with his bodyguard Timur. He also has very impressive collections of arcade machines, sports and rock memorabilia (some of it used by famous rock stars, including a $50,000 guitar) and even fine art (he talks on the phone about wanting to pay $20 million for a painting). Bulgarin believes "everything has a price, you just have to find out what it is", going so far as to try to hire a Maisonette 9 waitress as a prostitute for the night. As an enticement to the sale of his club, Tony offers the services of Luis Lopez, who Bulgarin hired to assist him with the hockey team acquisition. Eventually, he and Ashvilli have an argument, and Luis must kill the team owner in a hectic ambush.

Bulgarin discovers that diamonds stolen by a cook on one of his ships were sold to Tony. He set a trap for Luis, having beheaded the cook and leaving his head in a birthday cake box on a rooftop for Luis to find. When the diamonds are being traded in a hostage situation, he finds Niko and Luis representing opposing parties and orders his men to shoot everyone. Bulgarin failed again, as Niko and Luis both escaped and his diamonds were lost for good.

After cooperating with Giovanni Ancelotti (a mob boss and the hostage's father) about the diamond situation, they agree to try to force Luis to kill Tony. Luis instead kills the Ancelotti associate and Bulgarin's hit squad. Bulgarin attempts to leave the city before Luis kills him on his plane. Bulgarin threatened to blow up the plane with a grenade when Luis shot him dead - the grenade detonated, though Luis survived the explosion.

Trivia

 * Bulgarin's appearance has changed slightly from GTA IV to The Ballad of Gay Tony. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, his skin tone has changed to a more pale color and his hair color is much darker. Much more detail was also added to his face and he wears a different outfit.
 * Ironically, Bulgarin is the only associate of Dimitri other than Sergei that wasn't betrayed by him in the GTA IV storyline.

LCPD Database information
Surname: Bulgarin

First Name: Ray

Age: 50

Place of Birth: Russia

Affiliations: Linked to Russian Organized Crime Syndicates throughout Liberty City

Criminal Record:
 * 1989 - Human Trafficking (Age 31)

Notes:
 * People smuggler and high profile figure in global Organized Crime.
 * Believed to be operating in Europe on the Adriatic.
 * Deported after being caught receiving a shipment of Albanian sex workers at the Liberty City Docks in late 80s.
 * Reports indicate that he may try to return to the US.

Mission appearances

 * GTA IV
 * Russian Revolution
 * Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend


 * The Ballad of Gay Tony
 * Boulevard Baby
 * Going Deep (Boss)
 * Dropping In... (Boss)
 * In the Crosshairs (Boss)
 * Ladies Half Price
 * Departure Time (Killed)