Five Farmers Convicted in Grant Fraud Scheme

Several farmers decided to make money and devised a way to obtain grants for a substantial amount. In doing so, they landed themselves in legal trouble.

The court established that from 2018 to 2022, five farmers, who were heads of farms, devised a scheme. The Stavropol Prosecutor«s Office reported that they submitted applications to the regional Ministry of Agriculture for grants. The farmers submitted fake documents regarding the purchase of cattle, for which they were allocated 54 million rubles (approximately $600,000 at current rates).

The court sentenced the «businessmen» under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud committed by a person using their official position, by an organized group on an especially large scale). Four received suspended sentences of 3 to 3.5 years, and one defendant received 6 years in a general-regime penal colony.

Meanwhile, in the Neftekumsky District, investigators from the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on fraud in obtaining child benefits. A 47-year-old resident of the village of Kayasula came under suspicion, who, according to investigators, decided to «move to the North» — only on paper.