SBU blocked the illegal activities of an organized criminal group, which created a pyramid scheme to seize money.

SBU officers established that more than 600,000 Ukrainian citizens became victims of the fraud. The estimated amount of funds misappropriated and laundered by the criminals through purchase of elite movable and immovable property, as well as through investment in controlled business, is more than USD 250 million. SBU documented that more than 20 people and 100 legal entities were involved in the organization of the fraud.

From the beginning of 2019, for the illegally obtained funds the organizers bought one of the islands of the Dnipro Cascade with real estate located on it, 18 luxury SUVs worth more than USD 100,000 each, jewellery, other movable and immovable property.

On August 27, law enforcement officers conducted 48 searches in Kyiv and Vinnytsia regions and in Odesa city. The court seized the property assets of the perpetrators: bank accounts, movable and immovable property, including those issued to controlled legal entities.

The perpetrators will be served notices of suspicion of committing crimes under Part 3 of Art. 28, Part 2 of Art. 222, Part 3 of Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The operation was conducted by the officers of the SBU Main Directorate for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime jointly with the Main Investigation Department of the National Police under the supervision of the Prosecutor