Under the guise of fundraising for SMA treatment, Lviv resident Nazariy Husakov defrauded benefactors of over UAH 1.3 million. He received the necessary therapy for free, and spent the collected funds on his own needs, including gambling and cryptocurrency investments. He has been заочно (in absentia) declared a suspect in large-scale fraud. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, writes UNN.
According to prosecutors, his charity campaign was accompanied by active information support through social networks, Telegram channels, online platforms (PayPal, BuyMeACoffee, etc.), and with the participation of public figures and influencers who facilitated the fundraising.
At the same time, according to the Lviv City Council, "he received the specified treatment free of charge at the time of the collection."
"During the investigation of the criminal proceedings, evidence was obtained that he seized funds from citizens and legal entities totaling over UAH 1.3 million. The collected funds were not fully used for their intended purpose, but were mostly directed to personal needs, gambling, and investments in cryptocurrencies," the prosecutors reported.
They added that Husakov was "заочно (in absentia) notified of suspicion of seizing funds through fraud under the guise of collecting aid for treatment under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine."
"The suspicion was announced in absentia, the latter suspect is outside Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing," the National Police added.
Let's add
Husakov, the day before, when he learned that the OPG was going to accuse him of fraud, recorded a video message.
Today I learned that the Office of the Prosecutor General wants to serve me with a notice of suspicion of committing a crime. I am not hiding from the investigation, from the court. I am informing you of my physical location – it is a medical facility… located in Milan… I arrived in Italy on May 12. My interests are represented by lawyer Natalia Berdiy. My health condition as of now is serious: I cannot talk for long, hold the phone in my hands, or sit in a wheelchair due to back pain. My mother helps me record this video message
Recall
31-year-old Lviv resident Nazariy Husakov, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, is suspected of fraud during fundraising for treatment. Social media users noticed discrepancies in his reports, traces of Photoshop on screenshots, and suggest that he inflated drug needs, withdrew money into crypto, and spent it on gambling.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted checks and identified involved and affected persons, as well as the whereabouts of Husakov, who left Ukraine on June 13.
Law enforcement officers also opened two criminal proceedings regarding fundraising for the treatment of the Lviv resident.
Police conducted searches in Kyiv and Lviv at his places of residence and those of his relatives and acquaintances to establish possible facts of misuse of charitable funds for treatment.
On June 27, law enforcement officers detained a close friend of Nazariy Husakov, who tried to escape in a car during the searches, intentionally running over an operative of the DSR. The man was detained, and the car is in the impound lot.
Earlier, UNN wrote that in the case of fraud with fundraising for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, more than 400 people were interrogated. Of the UAH 100 million collected by Nazariy Husakov, UAH 2 million are included in the suspicion due to the refusal of 337 victims to claim.