The court in Russia recognized the cryptocurrency as a means of payment

During the trial, the attackers received seven and nine years of maximum security for stealing 5 millionrubles in cash and 55 million in digital assets.

The city court of St. Petersburg in the course of the robbery case recognized 55 million rubles in cryptocurrency as a means of payment. The city attorney's office called it a precedent.

In 2018, convicted Pyotr Piron introduced himselfFSB officer, threatened with criminal prosecution and extorted from the victim G.A. Shemeta money in the form of cryptocurrency. Shemet did not believe that the extortionist was a security official and refused to obey. Then the attacker attracted a veteran of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yevgeny Prigozhin "for power support."

Accomplices continue to threaten Shemetinitiation of a criminal case for alleged violations in the circulation of cryptocurrency. In the summer of 2018, together with unidentified persons, Piron and Prigozhin staged a mock detention of the victim, shouting “Criminal Investigation Department of the FSB.” The victim was threatened with torture, after which he handed over 5 million rubles in cash and cryptocurrency for a total of 55 million rubles.

As a result, the Petrogradsky District Courtsentenced Piron to nine years in prison, Prigozhin to seven. Initially, the court took into account only 5 million rubles, not taking into account the stolen 55 million in cryptocurrency in the verdict. The Petrograd court considered that cryptocurrency “is not a means of payment on the territory of the Russian Federation, therefore it cannot be recognized as an object of civil rights and a subject of a crime.

At the subsequent appeal stage, the thirdthe cassation court stated that the cryptocurrency is still a means of payment and returned the case for a new trial to the court of first instance. As a result, the Petrograd court delivered a verdict, including 55 million rubles in cryptocurrency. The terms for the defendants have not changed.

In April, the district court in St. Petersburg allowedarrest the stolen cryptocurrency. The investigation asked to seize 24 crypto wallets of the suspect, which contain 4 thousand Ethereum worth about 1 billion rubles.

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