A fraudulent "charity organization" that was profiting off sick children was exposed in Zhytomyr
Law enforcement officials have concluded an investigation into the activities of a criminal group that posed as a charitable organization and defrauded citizens of funds under the pretext of helping children with serious illnesses.
This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, the scheme was shut down as early as the beginning of 2024, but the organizer and her accomplices are now facing additional charges for new crimes.
The perpetrators set up call centers in Zhytomyr, where employees posed as volunteers and collected funds ostensibly for the treatment of seriously ill children, support for orphanages, and assistance to low-income families.
To build trust, the scammers used real stories of sick children who genuinely needed help.
The police cited an example where a mother of two children with disabilities approached the “fund” to raise money for rehabilitation. The “charity” collected over 400,000 UAH for the family, but only 20,000 UAH was given to the mother, while the rest of the funds were embezzled.
According to the investigation, the scammers defrauded citizens of more than 12 million hryvnias in total. The money was funneled through shell companies registered under the guise of legal consulting and the sale of construction materials.
Evidence has now been gathered implicating a 41-year-old organizer from Kyiv and five of her accomplices.
They are charged with forming a criminal organization, large-scale fraud, and forging documents for state registration of businesses.
A motion has been filed with the court to impose a preventive measure in the form of pretrial detention. The suspects face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Earlier, the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had notified the heads of two private companies of their status as suspects for organizing a scheme of fictitious employment to evade mobilization. The two company executives are charged with obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine through schemes involving the provision of personnel to other enterprises.
As a reminder, the organizer of a scheme to smuggle draft dodgers for $12,000 was detained in Kyiv.
Additionally, an employee of the TCC in the Chernihiv region was detained for bribery.
