Gambling prosecutors–2? Law enforcement authorities and underground casinos

The operative and investigation group has searched 60 premises, including 20 apartments. Operative actions were carried out in 10 districts of St. Petersburg. Forty persons were questioned. Sixteen million rubles ($243.2 thousand) have been seized.

The investigators consider 42-year-old Natalia Nazarenko, Deputy General Director of Neva Discount House, the mastermind behind the criminal business. Aleksei Vasilevsky, Deputy Senior Accountant of Neva, and its General Director Sergei Kuz’michev have been arrested as well.

According to one of the versions, Neva was making some additional money by leasing out its own premises. According to another version, the company has established underground casinos under the guise of its brand.

Based on official reports of press services and videos shown on TV, the arrests were performed aggressively and with the enforcement support of the National Guard of Russia – although the majority of the suspects were women aged 24 to 47 years. The question is: was it really necessary to put them on the floor face down during the arrests?.. 

Hot business 

Underground gambling dens existed at all times and in all countries. Law enforcement authorities clamp down on such establishments to the best of their power. This story began as long ago as in 2014 – but the St. Petersburg police launched the inquest only in 2016. At that time, three illegal casinos located on Zagorodny avenue, Stakhanovtsev street, and Degtyarnaya street were shut down.

 

Eight people were detained in the course of the investigative actions. A criminal case was instituted under Article 171.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal organizing and conducting games of chance). More than 100 slot machines were found during searches. In addition, items and documents important for the investigation were seized. Later, the press reported that the Investigations Directorate in St. Petersburg of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICR) started investigating a large-scale criminal case pertaining to the “organization of a network of underground gambling dens”. However, no more information about that inquest was published since then. 

 

Why have mass arrests and searches begun only now? According to sources, one of the detained suspects provided important information to the operatives enabling them to reach the “next level” of the underground network. The game was worth the candle – the criminal revenues had reached hundreds of millions of rubles per year. The investigators are currently examining items and documents seized in the course of the recent searches. Forensic experts and specialists are studying the computer equipment, documentation, and financial reports. Numerous hours-long interrogations have to be carried out – there are plenty of suspects in this case.

So far, five people have been remanded in custody. After the arrests of Nazarenko, Vasilevsky, and Kuz’michev, the investigation brought a motion to extend the detention terms for some Sergei Semenov and Yulia Filatova. Official charges have already been laid against all of them. During court sessions held to determine their pretrial restrictions, all the suspects had protested against the detention. For instance, Natalia Nazarenko claimed that she cannot abscond because she has no foreign travel passport and her minor daughter would be left alone if she is remanded in custody. However, the state prosecution informed the court that Nazarenko is suspected of four grievous criminal episodes and may put pressure on witnesses. As a result, the Oktyabr’sky District Court remanded her in custody until April 5, 2019. Requests of other suspects to release them under home arrests were declined as well – and they have been locked up in the pretrial detention facility until April 5, too.  

Sergei Kuz’michev, General Director of Neva Discount House (on the right)

Natalia Nazarenko

One of the reasons behind this court decision were extensive connections of the suspects in law enforcement structures uncovered by the investigators. According to The CrimeRussiasources, in the course of the searches, a notebook with telephone numbers of some police and prosecution officials of St. Petersburg was found in an underground casino. 

“A case against St. Petersburg prosecutors?”

In that context, it becomes clear why the investigation is locking up all the suspects – it is necessary to identify the masterminds behind the illegal gambling business. 

One may ask: “What masterminds? Aren’t they detained already?” But, in fact, all the people arrested so far are just executives.

Based on official statements, the true organizers of the criminal scheme are law enforcement officials of St. Petersburg.

But who could create such a big business under the very nose of other watchdog agencies? According to The CrimeRussia sources, police functionaries could not run such an underground business alone. In addition, police officers involved in the scheme are just executives and only resolve technical issues. Normally, these policemen are pretty high-ranked – deputy heads of District MIA Administrations and up. With regards to the Prosecutor's Office of St. Petersburg, any of its officials may be involved in the criminal scheme – from deputy district prosecutors to heads of departments and even deputies of the St. Petersburg Prosecutor.

Whose telephone numbers are now in possession of the investigation?

The official response to this question is as follows: “a complex of actions is carried out with the purpose to establish all circumstances, including identification of accomplices in the crime”. This may mean that arrests of enforcement officials of St. Petersburg are pretty likely in the near future. However, other sources are skeptical about this suggestion. The sources in the Prosecutor’s Office believe that such a business is “not a prosecutors’ job”, and this case may be inflated to the notorious “case of gambling prosecutors”. “It's been a long time coming, – they say. – This is an intrigue of the ICR; there was no hunt on prosecution officials in St. Petersburg so far. But the situation could change. A provocation can’t be ruled out as well”. The future will tell whether this case results in high-profile arrests and exposures or not.

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