The authorities apprehended a criminal immediately after his attempt to extort money from an individual eligible for military service. To achieve his goal, the fraudster manipulated the victim's trust. The fate of the perpetrator will be decided by the court.

Operatives from the Odessa Department of Internal Security in collaboration with investigators from the Regional Police Department uncovered a 33-year-old resident of Odessa involved in illegal activities. It was revealed that this was not his first offense.

Despite a previous conviction for fraud and current charges of abuse of power, the criminal decided to continue his unlawful activities. He offered a man, who had documents reserving him until February 2026, a way to completely remove him from military records due to health issues, demanding $15,000 for this.

To appear credible, he posed as a lawyer and claimed to have connections with officials whom he allegedly intended to negotiate with.

To prevent the man from backing out, the fraudster resorted to intimidation: threatening to cancel the reservation and report him as wanted. At the same time, to expedite the money transfer, he informed the man that the opportunity to complete the paperwork was only available now, as the next chance would not come for at least six months.

Immediately after receiving the money, operatives from the Department of Internal Security and investigators from the Odessa police arrested the swindler under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. He has already been charged under part 3 of Article 369-2 (Abuse of Influence) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which carries a penalty of up to 8 years in prison.

The procedural guidance is being carried out 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