Orenburg Woman Charged for Selling Inherited Soviet Labor Medal
The medal was confirmed to be authentic after being seized during a police operation.
Investigators from the Orenburg Linear Department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for Transport have initiated a criminal case against a 58-year-old resident of the regional center who previously had no legal issues. The article under which she «earned» trouble is «Illegal acquisition or sale of state awards of the Russian Federation, the RSFSR, the USSR» (Article 324 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
As it turned out, on January 22, the Orenburg woman was detained at the station square right during a «controlled purchase»: she was trying to sell the «Veteran of Labor of the USSR» medal for 50,000 rubles (about $556). The city resident explained that this award was inherited from her deceased father, and she did not know that the sale was criminally punishable.
The seized medal was sent for examination, and it confirmed that it is an original. For the duration of the investigation, the Orenburg woman will be under a written pledge not to leave: she faces arrest for up to three months, but most often such episodes end with a fine.
