The perpetrator was caught red-handed while attempting to extract money from a military serviceman. To achieve his goal, the fraudster manipulated his victim. The court will decide the fate of the criminal.

Operatives from the Odesa Department of Internal Security of the National Police, in collaboration with investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odesa region, uncovered the illegal activities of a 33-year-old resident of Odesa. It turned out that this was not his first offense.

Despite having a criminal record for fraud and current charges of abuse of power, the perpetrator decided to continue his illegal activities. He offered a man, who had documents confirming his deferment until February 2026, to remove him from military registration due to health issues for a fee of $15,000.

To sound convincing, he posed as a lawyer and claimed to have connections with officials from the local Territorial Recruitment Center.

To ensure the man did not back out, the fraudster resorted to intimidation, threatening to cancel the deferment and put him on the wanted list. He also communicated that the opportunity to complete the deal was limited, stating that the next chance to process documents would not come for at least six months.

Immediately after receiving the money, operatives from the Internal Security Department and investigators from the Odesa police arrested the fraudster 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. The penalty for this article can be up to 8 years of imprisonment.

The Odesa regional prosecutor's office is overseeing the proceedings.

Source: https://od.npu.gov.ua/news/za-15-000-dolariv-obitsiav-zvilnyty-vid-viiskovoi-sluzhby-v-odesi-natspolitsiia-zatrymaly-psevdoadvokata