The Investigative Committee (CI) officially charged blogger Elena Blinovskaya for articles on large-scale tax evasion (part 2 of article 198 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and money laundering in large scale (clause “b” of part 4 of article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). On this subject said in a ministerial announcement.
Investigators say ‘marathon of desires’ creator used business splitting scheme, understated income and failed to pay taxes for 2019-2021 totaling over $918 million rubles. According to the first article, Blinovskaya could face up to three years in prison, according to the second, up to seven years. In the near future, the inquest plans to ask the court to choose a measure of restraint for her, the statement said.
Blinovskaya became the third blogger with a multi-million audience, against whom a criminal case was opened for tax evasion since the beginning of 2023.
In March, Russian law enforcement charged two popular bloggers, Valeria Chekalina (ler_chek) and Alexandra Mitroshina, with tax evasion by selling paid classes and running marathons. Chekalina and her husband Artyom, who is also accused in the criminal case, the court in March chose restraint in the form of a ban on certain actions. In the afternoon of April 27, source REN TV informed that Mitroshina, who is now abroad, repaid the debt charged to him in 120 million rubles. However, the blogger’s lawyer later refuted RBC this information, stating that the criminal case against its client is under investigation.
By data telegram channel “112”, the case against the creator of the “marathon of desires” was opened on April 26, the same day she bought a ticket to Almaty. The plane took off on April 27 at five o’clock in the morning. However, according to 112, the blogger was warned of a possible detention, so at one o’clock in the morning she ordered a Maybach with a driver and headed for Belarus. Around 5 a.m. on April 27, Blinovskaya was stopped at a checkpoint in the Smolensk region on her way to Belarus. How informed Baza, in the car with her were her driver and a security guard.
Later, the Investigative Committee released a video of Blinovskaya’s detention and a search of her house. Baza telegram channel informed that investigative measures were carried out at three addresses: in a cottage in the village of Millennium Park in the Istra district of the Moscow region, as well as in apartments on the Paveletskaya embankment and on Shvernik Street.
Around 9:00 p.m. Commission of Inquiry published video, which shows how Blinovskaya was brought to the building of the Main Investigative Department of the Russian Investigative Committee for Moscow for questioning.
By data telegram channel 112, the author of personal growth marathons could have been banned from certain actions, but since she was detained while trying to leave the country, the most severe preventive measure is not excluded – detention.
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