Maternal Capital Scam Defrauds 20 Krasnoyarsk Women of Housing
From January 2019 to April 2023, a scheme operated in Krasnoyarsk that converted maternal capital into cash. The instrument was the credit consumer cooperative «Sodeystviye». On 4 September 2025, the Central District Court delivered a verdict against one of the leaders — the chairman of the cooperative«s board, Vladimir Komogortsev. He and his accomplices caused damage to the state of 9.5 million rubles (approximately $95,000 at current rates). Correspondent Gennady Denisov from NGS24.RU studied the criminal case materials and figured out how the scheme worked.
Five in the Scheme
Vladimir Komogortsev did not act alone. The verdict describes an organized group of five people. Komogortsev himself — chairman of the board of the credit cooperative, he managed the cooperative«s accounts. The second leader — a lawyer from the bar association »Kireyev and Partners«, also the founder of »Sodeystviye« since 2013. According to the investigation, they came up with the scheme and managed the others.
In the verdict, the lawyer is referred to as «PERSON № 1» with registration number 24/1501 in the Krasnoyarsk Krai lawyers« register:
«In accordance with order No. 777-r dated 30 July 2015 from the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation«s office for Krasnoyarsk Krai, information about lawyer PERSON № 1 was entered into the Krasnoyarsk Krai lawyers» register under registration number 24/1501, the criminal case against whom has been separated into separate proceedings (hereinafter — PERSON № 1), the latter practices law in the Krasnoyarsk Krai Bar Association «Kireyev and Partners»», — a quote from the verdict.
According to the register and the website of the «Kireyev and Partners» association, this number corresponds to Vyacheslav Semyanyak. The criminal case against him has been separated into separate proceedings.
The group also included the deputy chairman of the board, who sought out clients and land plots; a accountant-cashier, who processed loan documents; and a real estate specialist — she also found plots and worked with certificate holders.
Criminal cases against four accomplices have been separated into separate proceedings. Komogortsev made a deal with the investigation — he testified against his accomplices, so he was tried in a special procedure.
How the Scheme Worked
Maternal capital cannot be received in cash — it is a targeted payment for housing, education, or the mother«s pension. But in »Sodeystviye«, they found a loophole.
One legal way to use maternal capital is to repay a loan for building a residential house. This requires two things: ownership of a land plot and a loan agreement for construction. The group created these conditions on paper.
First, they found women with certificates. The verdict states that they looked among «socially vulnerable and financially distressed» individuals — those who wanted to get money quickly and did not understand the intricacies of the law.
Then they helped buy a cheap land plot in a remote area: in Zykovo village in Beryozovsky District, in Yemelyanovsky or Rybinsky districts, in Borodino. Plots were selected in advance, specifically for the scheme. These are precisely the territories where, according to the «Kireyev and Partners» website, lawyer Vyacheslav Semyanyak works. A person with this name is also on trial for fraud in receiving payments (Part 4 of Article 159.2 of the Criminal Code).
Next, the woman was registered as a member of the credit cooperative and issued a «targeted loan for the construction of a residential house». Money — an amount close to the size of the maternal capital — was transferred to her account. She withdrew cash, gave part to intermediaries «for the plot» and «for services», and kept the rest for herself.
Finale: an application for disposing of maternal capital and a package of documents — the loan agreement, a statement of the remaining debt, a construction notification — were submitted to the Pension Fund. On paper, everything was clean. The Fund transferred the maternal capital funds to the account of the credit cooperative «Sodeystviye», supposedly to repay the loan.
No one intended to build anything. The money settled in the cooperative.
How Much Mothers Received
The verdict details one of the first episodes — January 2019.
A woman came to the group participants with a certificate for 453,026 rubles (approximately $4,500 at current rates). She was helped to buy a plot in Zykovo village, registered as a member of the credit cooperative, and issued a loan for 408,026 rubles (about $4,100).
When the money hit her account, she withdrew cash and gave the intermediaries 150,000 rubles ($1,500) «for the land plot» and another 50,000 rubles ($500) «for services in disposing of maternal capital funds». The remaining 208,026 rubles (about $2,100), as stated in the verdict, «were left for personal use».
The arithmetic is simple: out of 453,000 rubles of maternal capital, the family received 208,000 rubles in hand. Less than half. The rest was taken by the organizers. And after the funds were transferred to the credit cooperative, the certificate was considered used — it could no longer be used for real housing.
The Trap for Mothers
At the time of processing, everything looked tempting: hundreds of thousands in cash, some of which could be spent on anything. But mothers lost more than they gained.
From the start, intermediaries took from one-third to half the amount — for the plot and services. In different episodes, this was 150,000–200,000 rubles ($1,500–$2,000).
The main loss came later. When the Pension Fund transferred the maternal capital to the credit cooperative, the certificate was considered fully used. Even if part of the money remained with the mother — directing the maternal capital toward a mortgage, apartment purchase, or actual construction was no longer possible.
And the land in remote villages, bought for the scheme, did not solve the housing issue. Most families did not intend or could not build there.
The verdict directly states: the women acted, «not being aware of the procedure for disposing of maternal capital funds» and «not having special knowledge». They were used as a tool to siphon off budget money.
What Is the Credit Cooperative «Sodeystviye»
The Krasnoyarsk credit cooperative «Sodeystviye» was registered on 23 September 2013. The founder was that same lawyer who appears in the verdict as the second leader of the scheme:
«The credit cooperative «Sodeystviye» was registered as a legal entity on 23.09.2013 by Interdistrict Inspectorate No. 7 of the Federal Tax Service for Krasnoyarsk Krai and registered with the tax authority with TIN 2445003112, main state registration number 1132448001047. The founder of the legal entity is PERSON № 1», — a quote from the verdict.
Among the 15 founders of the cooperative — four people with the surname Semyanyak.
In 2016, Komogortsev was elected chairman of the board. He opened the cooperative«s accounts in three banks. The cooperative»s legal address changed: first Dubrovinskogo, 110, then, from 2021 — Michurina, 3v.
On 2 November 2023, the cooperative was liquidated. According to «Kontur.Fokus», the chairman of the liquidation commission was the same Komogortsev.
«Sodeystviye» has a connection with another Krasnoyarsk cooperative. According to «Kontur.Fokus», out of 15 founders of the credit cooperative «Sodeystviye», 11 people were simultaneously founders of the credit cooperative «Abayud Invest». This cooperative was liquidated a bit earlier — on 5 July 2023. According to the same service, the chairman of «Abayud Invest» and the liquidator of the organization was previously listed as Vyacheslav Semyanyak. Moreover, in 2011 and 2015, the organization was called «Sodeystviye».
At the end of 2024, the regional prosecutor«s office reported that the former head of »Abayud Invest« is suspected in a similar maternal capital scheme: 12 episodes, damage to the budget of 6 million rubles (about $60,000 at current rates). And in August 2025, the editorial office of NGS24.RU reported how the chairman of »Abayud Invest« paid 300,000 rubles ($3,000) to the head of the criminal investigation department of Police Department No. 11 for checking 598 people in the database. Of them, 362 were members of the cooperative.
A separate story — the namesake credit cooperative «Sodeystviye» from Yekaterinburg. It was created in 2005, the cooperative operated in several regions and dealt with savings and loans. On 21 November 2025, the Yekaterinburg «Sodeystviye» was excluded from the Bank of Russia«s register. On the cooperative»s website, Krasnoyarsk can still be selected as a service city. Legally, these are different organizations, but the coincidence of names and geography adds confusion.
How the Investigation Proceeded
Komogortsev was detained on 16 May 2024, and the next day the court sent him to a pre-trial detention center.
The investigation gathered a solid evidence base: wiretaps of telephone conversations, account statements from dozens of banks, documents from the Pension Fund and Rosfinmonitoring (Russia«s financial monitoring service).
On 9 July 2024, the preventive measure was softened to house arrest. On 11 March 2025 — to a ban on certain actions.
Komogortsev made a deal: pleaded guilty, testified against accomplices, participated in investigative actions. Therefore, his case was considered in a special procedure — without a full examination of evidence in court.
Verdict and Damage
The court found Komogortsev guilty under Part 4 of Article 159.2 of the Criminal Code — fraud in receiving payments, committed by an organized group, using official position, on a particularly large scale.
Sentence — 3 years in a general regime colony. Under the article, one can get up to 10 years, but the deal with the investigation and mitigating circumstances reduced the punishment. The court considered the guilty plea, assistance to the investigation, partial compensation for damage, as well as — a young child, participation in charity, and health condition. Komogortsev was taken into custody right in the courtroom.
The Social Fund branch for Krasnoyarsk Krai filed a lawsuit for 9,525,030 rubles (approximately $95,300 at current rates). Komogortsev returned 50,000 rubles ($500) before the verdict. The court ordered him to pay the remaining 9,475,030 rubles and 11 kopecks (about $94,800). To ensure payment, property was kept under arrest — including a 2019 Toyota Camry. When the cases of other group participants are considered, the court may impose joint liability on them for the same lawsuit.
The defender and the convicted himself filed appellate complaints but later withdrew them. The court returned them on 1 and 8 December 2025. The verdict came into force.
Proceedings against three other group participants, including lawyer Vyacheslav Semyanyak, continue: the defendants are being tried under Part 4 of Article 159.2 of the Criminal Code, and the last hearing on the case was on 22 January 2026.
