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Read Full BioA Russian man has reportedly admitted to stealing money from a friend who died fighting in the war in Ukraine, spending the stolen funds on online gambling sites.
Per a Telegram post from the Kemerovo Oblast’s Ministry of Internal Affairs regional office, a court in the region’s Leninsk-Kuznetsky district will try the man later this year on theft-related charges.
The office said its investigators had completed their probe into the man. The accused was described as a friend of a “veteran of the Russian Special Military Operation” in Ukraine.
The accused has made a “full confession” and is cooperating with the investigation, the office added. The man could be jailed for up to 10 years if he is convicted.
Russian Man ‘Stole Money to Buy Car and Gamble’
The soldier had signed a contract with the Russian military. Before leaving for the front lines, he reportedly asked the accused to assist him with making financial transfers while he was away.
The same soldier allegedly gave the accused his SIM card, which was linked to his bank account. While the soldier was alive, the defendant assisted his friend in making a series of payments and bank transfers.
But after the soldier died, the accused stole some 1.5 million rubles ($19,130) from his friend’s account, investigators said.
The accused then allegedly used this money to play gambling games on online casinos. He also used the money to buy a car and transfer cash into his bank account, investigators added.
The Kemerovo Ministry of Internal Affairs explained: “By the time official information about the soldier’s death was sent to his family, there was no money left in the deceased’s account.”
Mother Tipped off Police
The soldier’s mother had been told about her son’s financial arrangements with his friend. Suspecting something was amiss, she filed a report with the police.
Earlier this month, the Russian Central Bank updated its commercial banking regulations in an attempt to block illegal online casinos from using cash and card mules.
The bank thinks that scores of illegal online casino operators now recruit Russian teenagers and people aged in their early twenties to act as “droppers.”
These droppers use their bank accounts to launder cash from illegal betting sites. Some also set up shell companies and open corporate bank accounts, which they also use to launder funds.
They are typically paid a commission fee for every successful transaction they complete.
