A court in the Moscow region has sentenced Sergey Anokhin, the former CEO of the bookmaker FONBET, to 8 years and 2 months in prison, along with a fine of 12 million rubles (approximately $160,000), according to a statement from the Investigative Committee of the Moscow region reported by RIA Novosti.
Anokhin and two other individuals were found guilty of bribery, mediation in bribery, and large-scale fraud, depending on their roles and levels of involvement.
According to the investigation, Anokhin transferred 60 million rubles (around $798,000) through intermediaries to an operative of the FSB to avoid presenting results related to the embezzlement of budget funds from his previous job to the investigative authorities. The intermediaries included a former lawyer and a former head of a police department, one of whom participated in an operational experiment alongside the operative.
After the money was handed over, the chain of intermediaries and Anokhin were detained. The lawyer received a sentence of 7 years and 2 months in prison with a fine of 12 million rubles, while the police chief was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison with a fine of 500,000 rubles (about $6,650). The defendants are to serve their sentences in general and strict regime colonies. During searches, 55 million rubles (approximately $732,000) were seized, and the funds have been confiscated for state revenue.