Russia: four years suspended for a woman who performed an egg-and-towel rite in victims' own homes, promising to mend a mother's relationship with her son

Proceedings

1. 2020-05-27 · conviction and sentence at first instance

   Karpinsk City Court, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia (Карпинский городской суд Свердловской области). The defendant, anonymised in the published judgment as ФИО1, was convicted of three counts of fraud by deception and abuse of trust causing significant damage to a citizen under part 2 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Two years were imposed on each count and partially aggregated under part 2 of article 69 to four years' deprivation of liberty, suspended under article 73 with a probation period of four years and conditions restricting movement, residence and employment. In the first count the court found she approached a woman she did not know in a courtyard, established a relationship of trust and told her falsely that she possessed abilities and powers that would help her mend her relationship with her son; she went with the victim to her flat, asked for an egg and a towel, and performed several actions with them to create the appearance of a magical rite for improving relations with the son, before asking for money. The court found the victim handed over 22,000 roubles under psychological influence from the defendant. The other two counts, arising from approaches including one in Komsomolsky Park, involved 50,000 and 5,000 roubles.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• an approach in a courtyard and a park to strangers, to establish a relationship of trust
• the claim to possess powers that would mend the victim's relationship with her son
• the performance of a rite with an egg and a towel in the victim's own home, to create the appearance of magical work
• psychological pressure applied at the moment payment was requested, as found by the court