How exactly the blogger Elena Blinovskaya hid money from the treasury and what she spent it on, the Moscow prosecutor’s office tells on April 27 in its telegram channel.
Blinovskaya is an individual entrepreneur and a single tax payer under the simplified taxation system. The income limit for it is 150 million rubles a year. However, according to the prosecutor’s office, she earned much more with the help of Internet marathons. And she did not want to switch to the general taxation system and pay the VAT and personal income tax provided for by this tax regime. To do this, she “purposefully and formally “split” the business, and also involved unidentified persons in the implementation of the criminal scheme.” In 2019–2021, the money was distributed to the settlement accounts of 18 controlled organizations and three individual entrepreneurs, who also applied the simplified taxation system.
“Thus, she underestimated income and the tax base for calculating taxes payable to the budget of the Russian Federation, and ensured that the tax authorities received tax returns containing deliberately false information,” the report says.
Law enforcement officers know that the blogger legalized 43 million rubles from the “illegally obtained as a result of tax evasion” by transferring them from the settlement accounts of controlled companies to the accounts of organizations. She bought a car, which she then transferred to her husband, equipment for a company founded by her husband, and goods for his sister’s company. Part of the money went to holding a festive event in August 2021 and to concerts at Blinovskaya’s house.
She is accused in total of tax evasion from individuals for more than 918 million rubles in 2019-2021 (part 2 of article 198 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and of legalization of more than 43 million rubles (clause “b” of part 4 of article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) . The criminal case was initiated based on the results of consideration of the materials of the tax audit.
Recall, according to the UK, Blinovskaya detained while trying to cross the Russian border in a rented car. She had air tickets with her for a flight to another country.
“The investigation of the criminal case, as well as the actual compensation for the damage caused to the budget system of the Russian Federation as a result of tax evasion, are under control in the Moscow prosecutor’s office,” the report says.
