Like Picking Berries: Postal Employees Convicted for 9 Million Ruble Scam in Tula Region
The Shchyokinsky Interdistrict Court of Tula Region issued a verdict on January 19 in a case of large-scale embezzlement at JSC Russian Post. The defendants were four female employees of post offices in the Shchyokinsky District.
The court established that the organizer of the scheme was L.V. Odinokova, who held the position of head of the operations accounting control group at one of the post offices. She created an organized group and involved S.A. Potemkina, M.V. Talalaeva, and Ye.N. Yelizarova — the heads of post offices.
All the defendants had access to cash and official programs. According to the developed plan, money belonging to Russian Post was appropriated under the guise of salary payments. Daily reports listed fictitious amounts, and then Odinokova, having access to the information system, transferred these data to lines that were not monitored by audit services. Thus, the fact of the embezzlement was concealed.
The crimes were committed from May to November 2022. The total amount of damage exceeded 9 million rubles (about $100,000 at current rates). The court found the defendants guilty.
Odinokova was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony with a prohibition on engaging in postal activities for 4 years. Potemkina was sentenced to 2 years in a general regime colony and deprived of the right to work in the postal sector for 3.5 years. Talalaeva was sentenced to 7 months and 6 days of imprisonment with a similar prohibition for 3.5 years. Yelizarova was sentenced to 8 months and 13 days of imprisonment and prohibited from working in the postal sector for 3 years.
For Talalaeva and Yelizarova, the assigned punishment was considered served taking into account the time spent in custody. Until the sentence comes into force, they will remain under a travel restriction.
The measure of restraint for Odinokova and Potemkina was changed to detention — they were taken into custody in the courtroom.
