The Savelovsky Court in Moscow chose a restraint measure in the form of a ban on certain actions of blogger Valeria Chekalina (ler_chek) and her husband Artem, accused of laundering 130 million rubles and tax evasion. On this subject informed RIA News.
Spouses cannot communicate with witnesses and accomplices, with the exception of close relatives, use mail, telephone, as well as other means of communication and the Internet. At the same time, the court did not restrict the movements of the accused. The Chekalin do not admit their guilt.
Hours before the hearing, the couple posted farewell messages on Instagram (owned by Meta*). Artem Chekalin wrote that he and his wife “probably won’t be in touch anytime soon”. Valeria Chekalina, in turn, thanked her subscribers “for these seven years.”
During the hearing, the blogger asked not to deny her access to the Internet, because the “nice family blog” is her only source of income, writing Shot telegram channel.
In the afternoon of March 16, the Investigative Committee of Russia (IC) informed that a new criminal case was opened against the blogger and her husband under the article on large-scale money laundering (part 4 of article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). They risk up to 7 years in prison.
According to the investigation, in April 2021, the spouses, acting as part of a group of people by prior conspiracy, legalized the money obtained by criminal means in the amount of more than 130 million rubles, acquiring for them US currency. Thus, the Chekalins “disguised the connection of the legalized funds to the criminal source of their origin”, claims the UK.
“Criminally obtained funds have been legalized through financial transactions to legitimize the possession, use and disposition of the funds,” the agency said in a statement.
On March 7, the Board of Inquiry opened a criminal case against the Chekalins under the Individual’s Tax Evasion and Complicity in Tax Evasion Article (Part 2 of Article 198, Part 5 of article 33 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) – the punishment provided for in this article provides for a maximum penalty of up to three years of deprivation of liberty. The same day, the house of the spouses was searched.
According to investigators, in the period from July 2020 to July 2022, the blogger paid taxes as an individual entrepreneur under a simplified system, which provides that income should not exceed 150 million rubles per year. However, according to the UK, Chekalina received much more income “from the provision of services for the implementation of fitness marathons”, but did not want to switch to a general taxation system and pay VAT and personal income tax.
The blogger arranged for the proceeds to go into settlement accounts set up on the intellectual property of her husband and other relatives, the UK said in a statement. Thus, Chekalina, according to investigators, “illegally carried out the splitting of the company and evaded taxes in the amount of more than 300 million rubles.”
Valeria Chekalina has about 10 million followers on Instagram (property of Meta*). In 2020, she took seventh place in the ranking of the highest paid bloggers of this social network, which was compiled by Forbes magazine. His earnings were estimated at $0.61 million per year.
- Meta’s activities in the implementation of Facebook and Instagram in Russia are recognized as extremist and prohibited
