Syrian man jailed for 120M ruble education scam
A Syrian man was sentenced to seven years in a general regime prison for defrauding dozens of Middle Eastern nationals of 120 million rubles by selling fake university quotas at RUDN and Rosbiotech. The scam involved fabricating connections with the Ministry of Science and using fake residence permits to gain trust.
Consensus
- The defendant is a Syrian national.
- The scam involved selling fake university quotas at RUDN and Росбиотех.
- The fraud occurred from 2021 to 2025.
- The total damage amounted to 120 million rubles.
- The man was sentenced to seven years in a general-regime prison.
- The Gagarin District Court of Moscow convicted him in October 2025.
- He was found guilty of four episodes of especially large-scale fraud and one episode with significant damage.
- The Moscow City Court upheld the verdict on June 30, 2026.
- The compensation amounts for victims were recalculated based on partially returned funds.
- One victim will receive 22.47 million rubles, another 46.5 million rubles.
- The defendant is currently serving his sentence.
Points of divergence
- The defendant boasted about personal connections with former Deputy Minister of Science Alexei Medvedev. — riamo
- The defendant's name is Almousa Almaksour. — tg_mash
- The defendant used fake residence permits to convince victims. — riamo
- The scam operated on a pyramid scheme model where intermediaries resold reserved spots at higher prices. — tg_mash
Coverage (2 sources)
- Scammer sold places to students at RUDN and Rosbiotech for 120 million rubles — РИАМО
- Syrian defrauded compatriots of 120 million rubles for fake quotas for training at RUDN and Rosbiotech — offered to invest... — Mash