The perpetrator was detained immediately after trying to extort money from a conscript. To achieve his goal, the suspect manipulated the victim. The fate of the arrested individual will be decided by the court.
Officers from the Odessa Department of Internal Security of the National Police, in collaboration with investigators from the National Police of Odessa region, uncovered the illegal activities of a 33-year-old resident of Odessa. It turned out that this incident was not the first in the suspect's criminal history.
Despite having a prior conviction for fraud and current charges of abuse of power, the criminal decided to continue his illegal activities. He offered a man, who had documents entitling him to deferment until February 2026, to remove him from military registration due to health issues. For this, he demanded $15,000.
To enhance his credibility, he posed as a lawyer and claimed to have connections with officials from the local Territorial Recruitment Center, with whom he allegedly intended to negotiate.
To ensure the man would not refuse cooperation, the fraudster resorted to intimidation: he threatened to cancel the deferment and put him on the wanted list. At the same time, to expedite the money transfer, he informed the victim that the opportunity to carry out the transaction was only available now, as the next chance to process the documents would not come for another six months.
Immediately after receiving the money, operatives from the Internal Security Department and investigators from the Odessa police arrested the fraudster in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. He has already been charged under Part 3 of Article 369-2 (Abuse of Power) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The penalty for this article can be up to 8 years of imprisonment.
The procedural leadership is exercised by the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office.
Source: https://od.npu.gov.ua/news/za-15-000-dolariv-obitsiav-zvilnyty-vid-viiskovoi-sluzhby-v-odesi-natspolitsiia-zatrymaly-psevdoadvokata
