A 36-year-old inmate of Drohobych Correctional Colony No. 40 has been sentenced to 9.5 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of all his property for extortion and exercising criminal influence. This term includes 6 months of an unserved sentence under a previous conviction. The Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported this.
It was established that in September-October 2023, while serving a sentence for robbery and having acquired the status of “authority figure” in the colony, the man organised a scheme to extort money from other prisoners. To this end, he enlisted another convict who was serving a sentence for murder.
According to the investigation, the two inmates demanded 50,000 UAH from a prisoner convicted of property offences, threatening him with physical violence. As grounds, they cited an allegedly “dishonourable act” committed without the knowledge and permission of the “overseer”. In addition to physical pressure, they threatened to disclose information the man wanted to keep secret and to humiliate him morally.
As the victim did not have the entire amount, the money was transferred in instalments by his common-law wife to a bank card whose details had been provided by the “overseer”. In total, the woman transferred 47,000 UAH to the convicts. After the final payment, the inmates’ unlawful activity was halted.
In recent days, the “overseer” received a new sentence under Part 4 of Article 189 and Part 2 of Article 255-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The indictment against the other involved inmate is still being considered by the court. The pre-trial investigation was conducted by the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Region, with operational support provided by the Strategic Investigations Department (SID) of the National Police of Ukraine in Lviv Region. The verdict will enter into legal force after the expiry of the appeal period.