Moscow Court Sentences Former Chekalins Partner to 2.5 Years
Former business partner of Valeria and Artyom Chekalin, Roman Vishnyak, was sentenced to 2.5 years in a penal colony and a fine of 500,000 rubles (approximately $5,300 at current rates). This was reported by the capital«s prosecutor»s office.
He was found guilty under points «a» and «b» of Part 3 of Article 193.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which involves conducting currency operations to transfer funds in Russian currency to non-resident accounts using forged documents, by an organized group, on a particularly large scale. It is reported that he was the one who transferred funds to the accounts of the former spouses in the UAE.
«It has been established that Vishnyak, together with Artyom and Valeria Chekalin and accomplices, from September 2021 to February 2022, conducted currency operations to transfer over 251.6 million rubles (over $2.6 million at current rates) to a non-resident»s bank account by presenting to a credit institution, which has the authority of a currency control agent, documents containing knowingly false information about the grounds, purposes, and purpose of the transfer,« the statement said.
Vishnyak admitted his guilt in full and cooperated with the investigation. Because of this, his case was considered separately from the Chekalins. The convicted man was taken into custody in the courtroom.
Earlier, the Gagarinsky Court began considering the case of Artyom and Valeria Chekalin on the merits. At the first hearing, two witnesses in the case were questioned, both representatives of the Federal Tax Service (FNS).
After the hearing, Valeria Chekalina (known as Lerchek) came out to journalists along with her boyfriend and the father of her fourth child, Luis Squicciarini. She said that she wanted to retrieve the confiscated jewelry to sell it, as she currently has no income. She also talked about how her pregnancy is going.
Recall that pregnant Valeria Chekalina complained that she could not get to the hospital due to court restrictions. After that, she was twice urgently hospitalized with a threat of miscarriage. She also shared how her children took the news that she would become a mother again.
