Suspects in real estate fraud detained in Crimea

Three residents of Simferopol, having information about the long-term presence of the owner of the office space outside the Republic of Crimea, decided to carry out a criminal scheme to seize real estate. In 2022, the perpetrators, having forged the signature of the owner, made a contract for the sale and purchase of the premises, after which, in order to legalize it, they made 2 fictitious transactions for the purchase and sale of property between the members of the criminal group. Then the property was sold to a bona fide buyer for 10 million rubles. Thanks to the operational search measures and investigative actions carried out, despite the active concealment of traces of the crime by the perpetrators, the necessary evidence base was collected, the storage locations of the documents used for fictitious transactions were established, — the press service of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Crimea reported.

The police detained the members of the criminal group and conducted a search, during which they discovered and seized documentation containing information about the suspects’ involvement in the crime.

The Crime Investigation Department of OP No. 2 «Kiev» of the Investigative Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Simferopol has opened a criminal case against the suspects on the grounds of a crime under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation «Fraud».

The article provides for a maximum penalty of imprisonment for up to 10 years with a fine of up to 1 million rubles.

Currently, the 44-year-old defendant has been remanded in custody, the 54-year-old has been given a written undertaking not to leave the country and to behave properly, and the third defendant has left the Russian Federation and will be put on the wanted list.

Operational investigative measures are being carried out to establish similar crimes on the territory of the peninsula and accomplices of the criminal group.

source: press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Crimea