Victims of the maternity capital scam in Karachay-Cherkessia are seeking criminal prosecution of all those involved.

Karachay-Cherkessia resident Galimat Okhtova filed a complaint to open a new criminal case regarding the theft of her daughter, Angelina Karova,'s maternity capital, based on "newly discovered circumstances." Two women, who confessed to the theft during a separate investigation, served only as witnesses. Karova received five thousand rubles every three months from the convicted Karaeva in compensation, but the payments stopped.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on December 30, 2021, the Cherkessk City Court sentenced Karachay-Cherkessia resident Maryam Karaeva to a suspended sentence of three years and six months in prison for the theft of maternity capital allocated to Angelina Mambetova (then Karova) in connection with the birth of her second child. The court also ordered the convicted woman to return 403,000 rubles in maternity capital to the victim, 150,000 rubles in moral damages, and 35,000 rubles in attorney's fees. On March 29, 2022, the Supreme Court of Karachay-Cherkessia upheld Mariam Karayeva's sentence. Bailiffs are not taking any measures to collect the debt from Mariam Karayeva, who previously received a suspended sentence for embezzlement of maternity capital, the victim stated.

According to Galimat Okhtova, the loss of her maternity capital funds has had a severe financial impact on her daughter and grandchildren.

"She was unable to afford housing. Furthermore, one of her children has a congenital illness, and we have to take him to Moscow for treatment once a year, each time incurring significant costs. Maternity capital funds could ease our situation, but Karaeva is in no hurry to return them to us, as ordered by the court. She sends 5,000 rubles every three months. In total, she has returned about 210,000 rubles in small amounts. Now, she has refused to return the remaining funds," Okhtova said.

"The suspects entered into fictitious transactions with women to purchase housing and obtain loans. Documents for social benefits were then sent to the territorial offices of the Pension Fund. The funds were deposited into the accounts of the criminal group's members as repayment of non-existent loans. The certificate holders were left homeless," the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Karachay-Cherkessia reported in September 2022.

Fourteen women were charged. Thirty victims are involved in the case, and the damages amounted to over 20 million rubles. The case also involves the convicted Karayeva, Kappusheva, and others.

Galimat Okhtova reported that she had repeatedly contacted law enforcement agencies in Karachay-Cherkessia with a request to open a new criminal case against the so-called "unidentified persons" involved in Karayeva's case. These individuals were identified in the criminal case against 14 others. However, she is denied this.

One of the responses states: "I inform you that your appeal, received by the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Cherkessk on September 10, 2025 ... has been reviewed. Criminal case No. ... was separated on September 10, 2019, from criminal case No. ... on charges against M.V. Karaeva of committing a crime under Part 3 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. I inform you that a full range of investigative, operational-search and other measures have been carried out in the above-mentioned criminal case, aimed at establishing all the circumstances and persons involved in the commission of the crime. Based on the results of the above measures, circumstances of involvement in the commission of fraud against A.R. Karova on the part of other persons have not been established. On October 30, 2024, the preliminary investigation in the criminal case ... was suspended ... in connection with failure to identify persons to be charged." The response was signed by Arseniy Smakuev, head of the investigative department.

Meanwhile, the investigative materials on the criminal case against 14 defendants in the fraud case, in particular, the confessions of Karaeva and Kappusheva, detail how they acted to fraudulently seize Karova's maternity capital.

Okhtova's lawyer believes that there is every reason to initiate a criminal case under Article 140 of the Criminal Procedure Code in connection with the identification of persons who were previously considered unidentified.

"Today, according to all the circumstances, these persons have been identified in another criminal case, and in accordance with these materials, they should be brought to criminal responsibility," she said. "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Okhtova herself noted that she is pursuing the goal of compensating her daughter for the material damages incurred—returning the stolen money in full.