Front companies, cash-outs, gambling sites: banker Alyona Dehrik-Shevtsova wanted over multibillion-dollar fraud case
In connection with the illegal operation of online gambling platforms and the laundering of over 4.8 billion hryvnias, Alyona Shevtsova (Dehrik), who owns Ibox Bank, has been added to the international wanted list.
This became known from the criminal proceedings of the Bureau of Economic Security №72023000500000071.
According to the investigation, the suspects, among whom the key role was played by the shareholder of Ibox Bank Alyona Shevtsova, along with the Director of the E-commerce Business Department Iryna Tsyhanok and the Financial Monitoring Manager Zoya Nesterovska, organized a criminal group from April 30, 2021, to March 7, 2023.
Since 2022, the women, together with other unidentified individuals, using controlled companies LLC «Pay-Pay», LLC «Polister», LLC «Dzega», LLC «Cygir», LLC «Dastsan», LLC «Rekna», LLC «Kendvit», LLC «Centing», LLC «Spat Tre», LLC «Mitar Stars», LLC «Gamerton», LLC «Ubervald», LLC «Flavon Sport», LLC «GamblingAmerton Construction», LLC «Aiking», LLC «Skein Corp», LLC «Zerenpay», conducted online gambling without the appropriate license. The suspects carried out financial operations to legalize the criminal proceeds, totaling 4.81 billion hryvnias.
This is confirmed by the NBU Act №В/25-0014/2660/БТ dated 06.01.2023, which was a result of the audit of JSC «Ibox Bank», revealing that during the establishment of business relations and maintenance of bank accounts of companies that provided information about conducting activities in organizing and holding cybersport and sports poker tournaments, the documents provided by their representatives and further cooperation with the banking institution indicated activities related to organizing gambling, which was known to the employees of JSC «Ibox Bank» and no actions were taken.
The Lychakiv District Court of Lviv decided in March to grant permission for a special pre-trial investigation (in absentia) regarding Shevtsova, Tsyhanok, and Nesterovska.
Zoya Nesterovska
The investigating judge established that the suspects deliberately evade the investigation, having left Ukraine through the «Yahodyn» checkpoint in March 2023. Since August 2023, they have been internationally wanted, and their whereabouts remain unknown. The court rejected the petition of the suspects’ defenders to establish procedural deadlines for closing the proceedings, indicating that the prosecutor has the right to appeal previous decisions to suspend the investigation at the stage of preparatory judicial proceedings. At the end of April, law enforcement officers in Poland detained Tsyhanok. The issue of her extradition is being resolved.
Iryna Tsyhanok
The court’s decision allows for the investigation to continue in the absence of the suspects, however, if they voluntarily appear before law enforcement, the proceedings will continue under the general rules of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The court order cannot be separately appealed but can be challenged during the preparatory judicial proceedings.
Nadezhda Denskaya