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Apartment Inquiry by OPS

Criminal syndicate members sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 23 years for stealing approximately 200 million rubles worth of apartments in Moscow. Three ex-police officers among the convicts, aiding in these operations. One defendant given a suspended sentence, while another was...

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Criminal gang members, including ex-police officers, were given prison terms from 12 to 23 years...
Criminal gang members, including ex-police officers, were given prison terms from 12 to 23 years for burglarizing roughly 20 Moscow apartments valued at around 200 million rubles. One defendant was given a suspended sentence, while another was found not guilty.

Apartment Inquiry by OPS

Revised Article:

In a massive real estate scam, a criminal crew was slapped with hefty prison sentences, ranging from a handful of years to two decades, for swiping nearly two dozen swanky Moscow apartments worth approximately 200 million rubles. Among the baddies behind bars were three ex-coppers who aided in their devious schemes. One mug got off with a suspended sentence, while another was acquitted.

Infamous Moscow entrepreneur, Raphael Khamilullin, suspected as the ringmaster, and his supposed minions - including former Presnensky District cop, Andrei Tolkachev, major Ruslan Deinichenko, formerly head of the criminal investigation department of the same department, another major Andrei Velichko, ex-traffic cop Alexei Barkov, and accomplices Svetlana Nikolaeva and Gennady Dubrovsky - faced trial at the Moscow City Court.

The charges: membership in an organized criminal group (OCG, Article 210 of the Criminal Code), large-scale fraud (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code), money laundering (Part 4 of Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code), and kidnapping (Article 126 of the Criminal Code). Oh, and just a small FYI: Khamilullin and his alleged cronies had already been handed five-year sentences in a previous trial for similar shenanigans back in 2022 by the Moscow District Court.

While cooling his heels in the slammer, Khamilullin penned a tell-all confession, revealing previously hush-hush episodes of apartment swindles and the role of Tolkachev, Velichko, and Deinichenko in his schemes.

The OPS's modus operandi was straightforward as a hungry bear tracking its prey. Starting in 2011, the mastermind offered a small fee to janitors working in the Presnensky district for intel on solo or socially vulnerable apartment occupants. Khamilullin then approached the owners with a lure of cheaper digs or a move to the burbs with a nice bonus. Guess what – the property owners walked away empty-handed while Khamilullin, with the help of corrupt law enforcement and buddies in the passport office, claimed the apartments in his name or that of straw men (some of whom are still on the lam). The properties were then rented out, and in some cases, swanky saunas were even installed on the first floor.

From 2011 to 2019, Khamilullin racked up almost 50 prime-location Moscow apartments in the city center (for two criminal cases), with half of the original owners vanishing without a trace.

Now, here's a twist. Ex-cops Deinichenko, Tolkachev, and Velichko adamantly denied any association with the crooks' criminal activities. They claimed they had no idea about the illegal real estate hijinks and that if Khamilullin had convinced them to help, it was all done in secret.

However, the court found the prosecution's story convincing, but didn't place equal blame on every defendant. Alexei Barkov, a former police officer and traffic officer, was found not guilty. With the time he'd served in pre-trial detention, Barkov had already paid his five-year debt to society. So, the ex-cop strolled out of the courtroom, a free man once more.

Svetlana Nikolaeva got eight years' house arrest for her OPS involvement and fraud.

Thanks to his unserved sentences from the Khoroshyovsky Court, Khamilullin was slapped with a 23-year stretch in a generic penitentiary, complete with a 3 million ruble fine. Dubrovsky earned a 16-year stay in the same facility, also with a 3 million ruble penalty.

Ex-cops Tolkachev, Deinichenko, and Velichko received 16, 15, and 12 years in a strict-security prison, respectively, and typed up fines of 1.5 million rubles each (Tolkachev and Deinichenko) or 1 million rubles (Velichko). Plus, they lost their military ranks and will be barred from taking on public service positions for several years.

Post-judgment, the defense opted to stay mum on the trial outcome, but their silence didn't stop the appeal process from kicking off.

  1. The ex-cops, Tolkachev, Deinichenko, and Velichko, were found guilty of associating with the criminal activities of Raphael Khamilullin, despite their claims of innocence.
  2. The general news reported that the former traffic cop, Alexei Barkov, was acquitted of all charges related to the real-estate fraud, having already served his time in pre-trial detention.
  3. In the realm of finance and investing, the conviction of Khamilullin and his associates serves as a warning for potential investors in Moscow's real-estate market, emphasizing the importance of due diligence and transparency in dealing with property transactions.

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