Head of pawnshops in Kherson region to be tried for misappropriation of jewelry

A jewelry theft was uncovered in Kherson region, which occurred against the backdrop of a full-scale war. The suspect, taking advantage of the chaos of the first days of the invasion, stole the jewelry and fled to Russia.

This was reported by the press service of the National Police in Kherson region.

Law enforcement officers have completed a pre-trial investigation against a 41-year-old resident of the temporarily occupied Nova Kakhovka, who is suspected of misappropriating jewelry worth more than UAH 8.5 million. The indictment has already been submitted to the court, and the suspect is charged with embezzlement of property through abuse of office.

According to the investigation, the man worked for several years as a jewelry store manager and head of seven pawnshop branches. He was responsible for accounting, storage and transportation of jewelry and money.

After the full-scale invasion began in 2022, the business owners instructed him to evacuate the jewelry to a safe place. The man collected jewelry from most of the facilities, and later from the last branch in the already occupied Nova Kakhovka.

However, instead of fulfilling the assignment, he appropriated the collected jewelry: more than UAH 3.5 million from the store and more than UAH 5 million from pawnshops. After that, the suspect remained in the temporarily occupied territory and left for Russia.

Law enforcers established that the man had no intention of returning to the territory controlled by Ukraine and disposed of the stolen property at his own discretion.

The investigation is now complete, and the indictment has been sent to court. If proven guilty, the suspect faces 7 to 12 years in prison.

Also in Kherson region, a member of an armed group that carried out attacks on jewelry stores during 2017-2018 will be brought to trial. Regional police investigators completed a pre-trial investigation against a 58-year-old resident of Kherson who had been hiding from justice for several years.

Анна Бальчінос