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Jurors announced a verdict in a criminal case against 23 members of a criminal group in Arkhangelskaya oblast

The evidence collected by the Investigating Authorities of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Arkhangelskaya Oblast and Nenetskiy Autonomous Okrug was recognized by as sufficient for a jury to issue a verdict against Mr. Oleg Shamanin and 22 members of the criminal group. They are found guilty of crimes, depending on the role and participation level of each, prescribed in Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 Article 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (building and leading a criminal organization and be involved into it), Parts 1, 2 Article. 209 the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (build and leading a perpetual armed group (gang), participation in it) and paragraphs. «а, b» Part 3 Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (extort), Part. 2 Article 167 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (another's property intentional destruction),  paragraph «а» Part 4 Article 162 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (robbery), Parts. 3 and 4 Article 166 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (carjacking), Part 3 Article 30, paragraphs «g», «h» Part 2 Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (attempted murder), Part 4 Article 309 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (constraint to avoidance of giving testimony), Part. 3 Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal acquisition, transfer, storage, transportation, carrying of firearms and ammunition) etc.

The investigation established that in 2012, Mr. Oleg Shamanin, a mafia heavyweight obtained the highest position in the criminal hierarchy, has built and headed an organized criminal group, which  kept the businessmen the Severodvinsk and Arkhangelsk cities in fear over years; he imposed  a"tribute" on them, like it was in the "dchaotic 1990s". Those who refused to pay received the overt and veiled threats, and were deprived of their property and business after all. The identification and suppression of the criminal group was complicated by the fact of close contact between the extortionists and a few individual Officers of the Severodvinsk internal affairs bodies, who “turned a blind eye” to the appeals of “intractable” businessmen, and the fact that Mr. Shamanin positioned himself as a “Criminal Lord, so all mentioned above alowed the group remain unpunished.

During interrogation, Mr. Oleg Shamanin, who fled from the Investigating Authorities, was extradited from the United Arab Emirates at the end of 2016,  he pleaded not guilty and refused to testify at the preliminary investigation..

During the investigation more than 600 people were interrogated, over 70 of them were recognized as victims. In order to compensate for the damage caused, the Investigating Authorities seized the property of the organized group criminals in the excess of 50 million rubles. In total the criminal case amounted to 560 volumes.

Thanks to the measures taken, more than a dozen crimes committed in the region in recent years have been solved.

The criminal community contained more than 30 persons. To date, five of them have already been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment for committing crimes as part of the criminal group, three persons have fled and were put on the wanted list.

Depending on their level in the criminal group, all the defendants,  were found guilty by a jury in building, leading and participating in a criminal organization.