Single Mother Risks Losing Apartment Over Ex-Boyfriend's Debt

A scandal has erupted in Volgograd, where a single mother risks losing her only home with her three-year-old child. Svetlana is burdened with a huge monetary debt, her apartment is mortgaged and about to be seized by the bank, and according to the woman, it«s all due to a relationship with a young man who turned out to be a gigolo. Feeling sympathy and trust for him, just a couple of days after meeting, Svetlana lent him 30,000 rubles ($300), and over four months, she gave him 3 million rubles ($30,000). Moreover, the woman claims that it wasn»t just about requests to «borrow» money.

“I thought I had found my person in him”

As Svetlana told a V1.RU correspondent, she met Danil (name changed — Ed.) in early January 2024. The couple grew close in just a few days.

— I was going through a difficult period at that time—I had divorced my husband. Some time passed, and I wanted to meet someone. So I did… I thought I had found my person in him, — Svetlana says.

Danil quickly gained Svetlana«s trust and asked to borrow money just a couple of days later. The first amount, according to the girl and her lawyer Yevgeny Dereza, was 30,000 rubles ($300). Then such requests were repeated several times, and the sums were larger. At the same time, Svetlana says that Danil came up with some strange schemes.

— He said that there was some card from which money could be withdrawn, but first it needed to be loaded because it was blocked, — Svetlana says. — It all followed a pattern. One day he was allegedly kidnapped. He wrote that he had been taken hostage, that a certain amount was needed, or else he would be cut, killed. I suggested turning to his parents or the police, but he said that then they would cut everyone. I didn«t believe it, but then someone writing under the pseudonym Bont contacted me. And he confirmed that Danil was indeed in such a situation and really needed money. Again, I helped.

Feeling danger from Danil«s actions and words, Svetlana demanded that he write promissory notes to confirm that the money had indeed been lent to him. However, this later provided little help to the girl.

— At some point, I realized I couldn«t go to the police if I didn»t have promissory notes to prove everything: when we argued, he deleted all the correspondence, — she recalls. — He avoided writing promissory notes for a long time, but eventually agreed. But in practice, I still can«t do anything. The prosecutor»s office says that with promissory notes, the person isn«t refusing his obligations—it»s civil legal relations.

Who is Bont?

At first, Svetlana was sure that Bont, who wrote to her when the young man was «taken hostage,» was Danil«s friend. Especially since a person with that name and surname actually existed and was known to her. But at some point, the girl became convinced that the Bont who wrote to her about »cutting everyone« and Danil were the same person. The »exposure« happened when, according to Svetlana, audio messages with Danil»s voice came from the «Bont» account.

A V1.RU correspondent managed to speak with the real «Bont,» who learned about Svetlana«s situation after she recorded an appeal to the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin. According to this man, he and Danil had also been connected by money in the past.

— I am not and never will be his friend, — emphasized the man, who preferred not to give his name and remain «Bont» (full details are available to the editorial office — Ed.). — He also owed me money at one time. Six years ago, he borrowed money from me, and after that, my life became a hassle with him. I called him after seeing Sveta«s video, and he admitted to me that he had created an account with my name and wrote to Sveta on my behalf. Why and for what purpose he did this—I don»t know.

Bont said that he wanted to help Danil because at that time he was addicted to betting and owed many people in Volgograd.

— I helped him get back on his feet because he was addicted to betting. He borrowed money from me to either pay off a debt to someone or to win back. Our communication lasted 4 years. His father and I helped him get jobs, took away his salary cards so he wouldn«t lose money. We wanted him to live a normal life because he owed money to the whole city. The amounts weren»t critical—3,000, 5,000, 10,000 rubles. But in total, it was a lot. I wanted to help him humanely, so he wouldn«t end his life by suicide, as there are many such stories.

The real Bont didn«t know about the »Bont« account from which messages were sent to Svetlana, or about anything that happened between the girl and Danil. It was a real shock for him to see that his nickname, name, and surname were used in such a context.

— People came to him, called him, wanted to meet with him, to demand repayment of debts. A couple of times he asked me to resolve issues with these people, talk to them and help him, because he was afraid, — the man says. — But I wasn«t his friend or comrade; I did it out of respect for his father and simply to prevent the person from being harmed. I just know what gambling addiction is and what consequences people with this dependency can have. For the last year and a half, he would occasionally get in touch, write that he was working and everything was fine. He thanked me for trying to help. And then I see this video, and later I found Svetlana. We talked, clarified everything, she understood that it wasn»t me who wrote. I wasn«t aware of any of this, I was busy with my own affairs and had forgotten about Danil long ago.

“I didn«t know where to turn, what to do”

Danil«s debts to Svetlana accumulated every day. According to the girl, at some point the young man suggested another scheme: Svetlana mortgages her apartment, uses the obtained money to pay off credit debts, and Danil would repay the mortgage in the future. At the same time, the girl insists that she agreed to this under emotional pressure.

— I was already hysterical, I was on antidepressants because of this story, — Svetlana recalls. — The time to pay all the credits was approaching, interest had already started accruing—it all finished me off. Plus, he started putting moral pressure on me: «You don»t want to do anything, you yourself don«t want to get out of this situation.» There was moral pressure and manipulations—I realized that later. I didn«t know where to turn, what to do. I thought that if I told my relatives, they would just kill me.

In the end, as reported by the girl«s lawyer Yevgeny Dereza, from January to April she transferred about 3 million rubles ($30,000) to Danil, and Svetlana herself notes that, including interest, the debt now amounts to 4 million rubles ($40,000).

— We still communicated for some time because he was afraid of a criminal case being opened. He came to my home, said to withdraw the statement, which was still under consideration. «Withdraw the statement, I»ll pay everything back,« — blah-blah-blah. But when he saw that I was refused once, he became bolder. He started calling me, gloating: »You«ll get three kopecks a year from me.»

— He filled my ears with promises that he would pay the monthly apartment payment of 70,000 rubles. In the end, nothing. In winter, I wrote to him that the apartment would soon be taken away, to which he said to gather some documents, negotiate with the bank, saying he would pay everything soon, — Svetlana says. — These empty words remain just that. Our family went to talk to his parents, and his mother said that I wasn«t the first girl he had scammed. Then I decided to ask a friend, she»s a former lawyer, and check if there was any other case against him. There was definitely one case with another girl. I was in shock.

“If there hadn«t been deception—she wouldn»t have given the money”

As Svetlana«s lawyer Yevgeny Dereza emphasizes, Danil»s actions may contain elements of a criminal offense.

— We believe there is a criminal aspect because he didn«t just ask for money as a loan with repayment. He asked for it through deception, through abuse of trust. He said he needed money for a card, but the card didn»t actually exist. He said he was held hostage, then denied it. All the money was obtained only through deception, and since it was obtained by deceptive means, that«s the criminal aspect.

Svetlana tried twice to get law enforcement agencies to open a criminal case, but both times the girl was refused. In the first (available to the editorial office — Ed.) refusal resolution, it is stated that Danil does not refuse his financial obligations, and at that time he intended to pay off all debts by December 31, 2024. The refusal to open a criminal case was explained by the fact that the dispute between Svetlana and Danil is of a civil legal nature. The second refusal also refers to a civil legal dispute and the absence of signs of a criminal offense.

At the same time, simply demanding money from Danil won«t work. Yevgeny Dereza explains: if a person has no property and doesn»t use cards or electronic accounts, then it«s impossible to collect the debt from him. Because of this, Svetlana and her lawyer fear that Danil may file for bankruptcy, and then the debt will be written off, and the girl will be left with nothing.

— Our reality in the country is such that if, for example, a decision is made against me for 10 million, and I have no property and no funds on cards—that«s it, the person won»t get anything from me, — gives an example lawyer Yevgeny Dereza. — I would just go to work, receive unofficial salary, bring it home in cash, spend it, register everything in the names of relatives, friends, and not use any cards. Bankruptcy costs about 150,000 rubles ($1,500). In that case, they would simply write off the debt. He has no property, he hasn«t made any transactions—they»ll write it off, and that«s it. And the person, it turns out, has lost their apartment and is left with a child without a home.

Svetlana cannot pay the numerous loans she took out to lend money to Danil. The apartment will soon be taken away. All of this, according to Yevgeny Dereza, wouldn«t have happened if Danil hadn»t resorted to deception and manipulations.

— Now the bank has filed a lawsuit to collect the collateral property, that is, the apartment. It«s about to be taken away, but we»re fighting, although we understand that the outcome is one: the apartment will be taken, and nothing can be taken from this guy. We point out that he obtained the money through abuse of trust, through deception. If there hadn«t been components like the hostage situation, Svetlana wouldn»t have given him the money. If he had simply said: «I need more, more, more,» then by the third or fourth payment she would have stopped it all. The loss amount would have been 150,000–300,000 rubles, but not 3 million. But there were deceptive manipulations, a factor of compassion. She understood that the person might really be in a difficult situation, feared for him, so she gave her last money. If there hadn«t been deception—she wouldn»t have given the money.

“From her side—it«s a heart-rending story, but…”

In a conversation with a V1.RU editorial correspondent, Danil confirmed both the past relationship with Svetlana and the fact that he borrowed money. However, the man, according to him, is paying everything back and isn«t refusing his obligations.

— We communicated, met. There was a period when she helped me financially—I had certain difficulties, — Danil explains. — She lent me money in parts, but it was official, with a promissory note and notarized. The documents are with me and with her, we notarized everything. There is a specific date that has already expired, but we also indicated the interest that accrues if the money isn«t returned on time. Then she went to the police, but they referred her to a civil case because everything is notarized. Now the bailiffs have frozen my cards. I»m paying everything, putting money in, reducing the debt as much as possible.

Danil denies the kidnapping story. Moreover, according to him, it wouldn«t make sense for him to later write promissory notes if he had planned to deceive Svetlana and not return the money.

— There were no such messages from me, — the man says about the kidnapping story. — She says that from some other account, some alleged person wrote to her and so on… I only have one Telegram account. I«ve had many acquaintances in life, but a friend named Bont, whom I communicate with or exchange messages with—there is no such person. Plus, it»s illogical because the amount she gave me, we notarized. Why would I need to write some stories? I think people who take money and don«t return it are unlikely to go notarize it, leave some of their data. From her side, it»s some kind of heart-rending story, but in reality, nothing like that really happened. By the way, I«ve already returned about 600,000 rubles ($6,000) to her.

Danil couldn«t remember how many times Svetlana transferred money to him or what the maximum transfer amount was. However, he recalled how the girl spent money from the apartment mortgage on her own needs.

— We were at home, talking, and the topic of financial situation came up. We proposed various options, and in the end, we arrived at this, — Danil explains. — No one forced her, begged her, or asked her. She mortgaged the apartment to lend me money and solve her problems with debts and credit cards. She had 1.5 million rubles in her account. She used 800,000 of that money to pay off her credit cards. Then she spent more of this money on some of her own needs. She transferred the remainder, and then after a few months, I started returning this money to her. I returned a not large, but decent amount. Probably, one might only wonder if a person isn«t returning the money at all.

In a conversation with a V1.RU correspondent, Danil stated that he will continue to repay his debt until it is fully paid off. Then, for him, this story will be over.

— I call her periodically, write, but she immediately blocks me. I can«t transfer money to her directly, only through bailiffs, so I write, ask if the money has reached her. It doesn»t come immediately, but, I think, within five days. She should keep in touch with me, it«s important for me to understand if the money has arrived or not, need to count how much I»ve already given her. And when I returned 600,000 rubles to her, you know what she said? “Well, that doesn«t count, that»s interest.” I«m working now, transferring to her. It»s not large sums because saving up—that takes time, interest will accrue. And why would I need that—to overpay? So I put in the minimum, as much as possible. Not every day, but monthly I accumulate something, I put it into the debt. When I pay her back everything, from my side the matter will be closed. From hers—I don«t know.