From Call Centers to Online Casinos: How Operation “Carthage” Uncovered Cover-Up Schemes in the Office of the Prosecutor General

Participants in the Carpathian operation could have been protecting not only fraudulent call centers but also the gambling business. In one of the conversations, a voice that, according to investigators, belongs to Ivan Tymoshenko, a suspect in the case, says that gaming is “also their topic.”

This is reported by Slidstvo.Info, citing sources in law enforcement.

Former head of the Information Technology Department of the Office of the General Prosecutor Ivan Tymoshenko has received a suspicion within the scope of the NABU and SAP “Carpathian” operation. 22 On October, the High Anti-Corruption Court chose him as a suspect with a pre-trial restraining measure in the form of detention with an option to post bail in the amount of 8 million hryvnias.

Tymoshenko has maintained friendly relations with Sergey Kropyva, suspected of organizing the protection scheme for fraudulent call centers, for at least 2020 years. Since then they have worked together in leadership positions, including in the National Police, Odesa Regional State Administration, and the Office of the General Prosecutor.

Law enforcement believes Tymoshenko helped Kropyva organize the operation of the scheme. According to investigators, he appointed to the Office of Information Technology of the OGP Daniil Slipchuk, through whom participants received cash from call centers, exchanged it for other currencies and transferred it into cryptocurrency.

In addition, Tymoshenko helped involve other people in the scheme. In particular, as sources for Slidstvo.Info claim, he searched for “couriers” who took cash from call-center representatives. To conceal these operations, they used passwords for meetings and cars with foreign license plates for transporting money.

bribes from representatives of the “offices” Tymoshenko allegedly passed to Kropyva and distributed among other members of the criminal organization.

The position of the man gave him access to the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, which contains information about criminal proceedings. Law enforcement believes this helped scheme participants control the situation around the call centers.

Slidstvo.Info also has a conversation about fraudulent call centers and gambling. In it are voices that, according to investigators, belong to Ivan Tymoshenko and the deputy head of the State Tax Service, Ihor Pancheko:

P.: And this, wait, OnlyFans — is clear. And what’s there with your popular one? Scammers, call centers — is that your topic?

T.: Well, we.”

P.: Your tubes, yours, right?

T.: Well, we’re investigating who, what this is.

P.: Listen, okay, and this gambling, online gambling — is that also your topic?

T.: Well, yes.

P.: Oh, and you work with these, with PlayCity? This new thing in the Ministry of Digital Affairs that regulates gambling? No?

T.: No, we could.

P.: Well, you’re not involved in this? This is your sphere.

T.: We currently have some content…

P.: There’s money there, there’s a mess, brother. It’s just a disaster. He isn’t alone.

T.: No, well.

P.: There are hundreds there, a whole army.

It should be noted that the Information Technology Department of the Office of the General Prosecutor, where Tymoshenko worked up to 11 September, provides digital transformation, technical support, and information security for the prosecutors’ offices, and does not engage in investigations of fraud or gambling.

In addition, Slidstvo.Info has a recording, in which, according to investigators, voices resembling Tymoshenko’s and Kropyva’s can be heard:

K.: What’s that?

T.: Vasyl, about what they were talking, what they’re “poking” at, at what.

K.: Price?

T.: Yes, the price.

K.: Well, probably in any case. Well, that’s obvious even for a fool.

T.: But Daniil has already reviewed everything and said: we’re not in it.

K.: It’s good that there are people who…

T.: Well, for the plot it’s nothing, but with 800 how many? 10 people?

K.: Ah, that’s 800 numbers, like that?

T.: Well, 860 numbers, and there are 10 plots.

K.: But there are many who didn’t formalize, didn’t complete registration for themselves. Ivan Oleksandrovych (laughs). There are, damn, smarter ones.