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In Altai Territory sentence passed over director of real estate agencies in Barnaul found guilty of swindling with flat of veteran of Great Patriotic War

A court has recognized the evidence gathered by the Altai Territory investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee sufficient to convict director of a real estate agency of the town of Barnaul 32-year-old Irina Gutseva. She was found guilty of crimes under part 4 of article 159 of the RF Penal Code (fraud committed by a group of people in conspiracy on a very large scale entailing depriving a citizen their right to housing).

The court and investigators have revealed that no later than in 2014, Gutseva who had longstanding experience in real estate services conspired with an acquaintance of hers to get the ownership of the flat of 90-year-old veteran of the Great Patriotic War Tatyana Belokoneva by deceit and abuse of trust without her knowing about that. They also involved a nominal buyer from among their acquaintances. The members of the group had no obstacles in preparing and submitting documents for state registration of transition of ownership in absence of the actual owner. As a result of a fictitious sales contract and the following procedure of transiting of ownership the veteran suffered pecuniary damage of over 1 million 600 thousand rubles and was deprived of her right on the flat. Only in early March 2015, the elderly woman found out from representatives of the building managing company that her flat had been sold to strangers.

On 11 May 2015, Ms. Belokoneva died in her flat following a long disease. The Altai Territory investigating bodies carried out a pre-investigating check and decided to refuse opening the criminal investigation due to non-criminal cause of death.

During the probe the investigators revealed that Gutseva and other members of the group had been involved in another similar crime involving a share in the flat of a deceased resident of the town of Barnaul without knowing or consent of her next of kin.

The director of the real estate agency admitted her guilt in full and requested special procedure for her case.

The court having taken into account all arguments of the investigators has found Gutseva guilty of the crime and sentenced her to 4.5 years of probation.

At present, the court is trying the cases against other members of the group.