Moscow's Presnensky Court announced the verdict against business coach and blogger Ayaz Shabutdinov, who was accused of large-scale fraud.
The court ruled that the businessman will spend seven years in a general regime penal colony and pay a fine of five million rubles. He is also required to compensate those who suffered as a result of his actions.
A nearly two-year-long saga has come to an end. Investigators alleged that Shabutdinov sold online courses, promising participants a chance at a “new life in business.” According to the case file, damages were estimated at over 57 million rubles across 113 counts of fraud.
Before the verdict was announced, Shabutdinov made his final statement. “Two years in pretrial detention is the loss of friends, the loss of trust that can never be regained,” he said. The coach also emphasized that he apologized to everyone who suffered and returned the money to those who accepted compensation.
He acknowledged that “the decline did not happen suddenly” – according to him, it was caused by rapid growth and the loss of control over his own business.
“I stopped doubting myself and my decisions,” he admitted, “and that was the beginning of the end.”
According to eyewitnesses, the blogger appeared calm and reserved during the hearing, and was again holding a book in his hands, as he had at all recent hearings.
The case hearings began in late 2023. Shabutdinov was then arrested on charges of defrauding the students of his courses. This spring, his lawyers announced that some of the victims had received compensation totaling approximately 18 million rubles.
Now, after nearly two years of investigation, the final decision has been made. The sentence will come into force after a possible appeal.