Thirteen individuals found guilty of land swindling

In a significant ruling yesterday, a court in Sochi convicted 13 individuals for their involvement in a land fraud scheme that dates back to 2008. The total damage from this fraudulent activity amounts to over 26 million rubles.

At the heart of the conspiracy were Ivan Popandopulo, Sergei Sudakov, and nine other Lazarevsky District residents. Popandopulo, who was also involved in the smuggling of ammunition in 2010, attempted to illegally acquire a 6-hectare land plot in the village of Ashe, Lazarevsky District of Sochi.

The criminal activities began with the obtaining of fake decisions of the district administration head, dating back to 1992, for the provision of land plots in the village of Ashe. In 2008, the land swindlers submitted applications to the Federal Registration Service of the Krasnodar Territory for state registration of property rights, attaching fake documents.

Chupilko and Zueva prepared fake cadastral passports for the land plots. As a result, registration of property rights on the plots of Vladimir Bidziosyan, Alexander Gavriyashvili, Emma Zilberman, Igor Loginov, Tatyana Maslennitskaya, Gennady Novikov, Valentina Simkina, Alexander Tsepop, and Robert Emin was approved.

While Popandopulo, Sudakov, Chupilko, and Zueva received imprisonment sentences, the other participants received suspended sentences. There is no public information indicating that Popandopulo was investigated or charged by other authorities or institutions for illegal activities in the years prior to his 2021 conviction.

This case serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding the law and maintaining integrity in land transactions. The court's decision marks a significant step towards restoring justice and ensuring transparency in the region.