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A court has recognized the evidence gathered by Yekaterinburg Investigations Department of the Russia’s Investigative Committee sufficient to convict former chief of correctional facility N 6 of regional directorate of Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation Denis Mekhanov. He was found guilty of abuse of office connected with receiving money from the convicts and their relatives which then led to grievous consequences (article 285 of the RF Penal Code).

The court and investigators have found that in 2011-2012 while being the chief of correctional facility No 6 Mekhanov created an illegal system to receive material valuables such as money, construction materials, domestic appliances from the convicts and their relatives disguised as charity to the correctional facility. At first he demanded material valuables from the orderlies and leaders of squads of convicts and threatened to put them in a cell in case the order was not executed. In their turn the orderlies transmitted the demand of the administration to other convicts offering in exchange visits, transfer to other squads and milder conditions, or assistance in getting a parole, etc.

The orderlies took the convicts, who agreed, to the public telephone and under his control they called their relatives and said them that it was necessary to transfer money to the colony or to buy certain goods or construction materials. If the relatives agreed, the convict told them a telephone number of a person, who cooperated with the administration of correctional facility No 6. Later they called the mediator, who told them the number of bank account to transfer from 2 to 100 thousand rubles. Then the mediator disposed of the money on Mekhanov’s orders, bought construction materials, domestic appliances and other goods for the correctional facility.

This way Mekhanov used his authority as the chief of the correctional facility that allowed him decide whether to press disciplinary liability on the convicts, provide them with information and give characteristics for parole qualification, pressed the convicts and their relatives in order to get from them material valuables for the needs of the facility.

In addition, Mekhanov violated legal order and conditions of service of sentence by considerably violating the legally protected interests of the society interested in full and disinterested correction of the convicts, forming in them respect for people, society, labor, norms, rules and traditions the society and stimulation of orderly behavior. Also Mekhanov’s actions entailed considerable violation of the legally protected interests of the state reflected in sabotage of the authority of correctional facility No 6 as well as bodies of criminal and penitentiary system of the Russian Federation and Chelyabinsk Region related to observation of rights and legal interests of convicts.

Besides, all those actions were obvious for other convicts, who did not want to obey the illegal orders of the chief. Later those actions were the cause why the convicts took part in mass riots on 24 and 25 November 2012 in the correctional facility and its premises, which endangered public security in Kopeysk city district in Chelaybinsk Region and destabilized the normal functioning of the administrative and law enforcement bodies in Chelyabinsk Region.

Mekhanov’s guilt of the crimes he was accused of was also confirmed by the testimonies of the victims and witnesses from the convicts and personnel of the correctional facility, reports of searches and seizures, conclusions of handwriting and criminological expert examinations and other evidence.

The court has given Mekhanov a 3-year suspended sentence and banned him from occupying certain positions or being engaged in certain activity for 3 years.