Moscow Court Arrests 3 in a 30 Billion Ruble QIWI Wallet Cash-Out Scheme Linked to Illegal Casinos and Drug Shops

A Moscow court has arrested three figures in a case involving an estimated 30 billion rubles moved abroad through QIWI wallets. For PSPs and acquirers, the important part is not the crime-drama packaging; it is the mechanics: 24,000+ wallets, hidden KYC (know-your-customer) performed through controlled mobile retail points, and a payment chain built to serve online casinos, illegal bookmakers, and drug shops.

1. The Meshchansky Court of Moscow ordered the arrest of three defendants on 25 June. According to law enforcement, the group used QIWI wallets to cash out and transfer around 30 billion rubles abroad.
2. Investigators say the scheme relied on more than 24,000 QIWI wallets registered to drop accounts. The main method was concealed wallet verification using passport data from these drops, carried out through partner mobile phone retail locations under the defendants’ control.
3. The funds were allegedly handled for online casinos, illegal bookmakers, and drug shops. That is the key takeaway for payment providers: the flow was not random retail fraud, but servicing of multiple high-risk and outright illicit verticals through a structured wallet network.
4. The arrested men are described as experienced players in mobile franchising. They are 50-year-old Grigory Kisilgof, co-founder of the One Price Coffee chain; his longtime partner and former Intercom director Denis Li, 50; and Alexander Mikhalchuk, 51, who previously led the commercial arm of the Simmaster franchise and was a beneficiary of a payment terminal network.
5. The criminal case was opened on 11 February. During searches, authorities found and seized evidence of mass opening of fake accounts. The defendants were charged with illegal transfer of funds to non-resident accounts as part of an organized group on a particularly large scale, an offense that carries up to 10 years in prison.

Russia has been tightening restrictions on anonymous wallets since 2019, gradually limiting cash withdrawals and transfers. In February 2024, the Central Bank revoked QIWI Bank’s license over servicing shadow counterparties and illegal platforms, and in December 2025 the organization was officially liquidated.