Russia Targets Housing Fraud and Illegal Crypto Mining in Twin Law-Enforcement Actions

Overview

• In Novosibirsk, investigators completed a case alleging 29 criminal episodes tied to apartment schemes that caused about 39 million rubles in damage.
• Police say a 63‑year‑old organized the Novosibirsk group in 2019 to exploit unprivatized flats of deceased owners without heirs using forged documents.
• Authorities report the group obtained rights to 14 apartments in the city and district, reselling 12, and four defendants now face fraud and legalization charges under Articles 159, 174.1 and 174.
• The criminal case from Novosibirsk has been sent to the Central District Court for consideration.
• In Sverdlovsk Oblast, three suspects were detained after searches uncovered more than 10,000 cryptocurrency mining devices tied to illegal power hookups in Nizhny Tagil and Kushva, with damage exceeding 16 million rubles and the suspects placed under house arrest.