In Astana, members of an organized criminal group have been convicted for creating a financial pyramid and defrauding over 100 citizens, reports infohub.kz.
The court established that the criminal group consisted of more than 10 people with clearly defined roles. The fraudsters, under the pretext of paying a cash reward of 1 to 2 million tenge, persuaded citizens to take out auto loans, promising to repay the debts themselves. However, the obtained cars were illegally sold, including being taken out of Kazakhstan.
According to the prosecutor's office, more than 100 citizens were recognized as victims, and 165 cars were involved.
"By the court's verdict, the guilty were convicted of creating and leading an organized criminal group, creating and leading a financial pyramid, as well as fraud. They were sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 5 to 8 years," the prosecutor's office stated.
It was also reported that the victims' civil claims were satisfied.