The SBU continues exposing large-scale fraud by organizers of the B2B Jewelry financial pyramid. SBU officers documented new facts of illegal activity, conducted searches and shut down some of the chain's stores.

In addition, four curators of the financial pyramid received suspicion papers.

The offenders are suspected of fraud with financial resources and legalization of funds obtained by criminal means on an especially large scale.

Last week, the SBU conducted 26 searches of offenders’ residences and B2B Jewelry stores in the city of Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.

As a result, the seized inventory includes:

• documentary evidence;
• jewelry;
• seals of legal entities used during the commission of crimes;
• mobile phones and computer equipment containing information necessary for the investigation;
• property, including vehicles, obtained by criminal means.

Moreover, the SBU shut down B2B Jewelry stores, and their premises were sealed under the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.

The SBU requested detention for one of the suspects. However, the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv chose a personal obligation for him (does not provide for any restrictions on movement or travel abroad).

Four offenders were issued notices of suspicion for commission of a crime by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, fraud with financial resources, legalization of proceeds from crime.

The operation was conducted by the SBU Main Directorate for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime, the Main Investigation Department of the National Police with the assistance of the Anti-Money Laundering Department, the State Tax Service of Ukraine and under the supervision of the Prosecutor General's Office.

Note: in accordance with Art. 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subject to criminal punishment until his guilt is proved in a lawful manner and established by a court conviction.