Family matters: son of controversial lawyer Pashayev will remain in jail
The Meshchansky district court extended the arrest of Elvin Pashayev, the son of former lawyer Elman Pashayev, actor Mikhail Yefremov, known for the trial. The young man is accused of fraud in the sale of a Moscow apartment, the owner of which is missing. The defendant himself denies guilt, and his defense insists that the charges are unfounded. What role, according to the investigation, he played in the deal and what is known about the other defendants is in the Izvestia article.
The beginning of the process
The criminal case against Pashayev Jr. was opened on February 27, 2026. He was singled out from the materials of another case, about a murder committed by an unidentified person. Anton Prokopovich, CEO of True Edge LLC, is involved in the investigation along with Elvin Pashayev.
They are accused of fraud on an especially large scale (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) in a transaction with a Moscow apartment, the owner of which is missing. According to the investigation, Pashayev Jr. was engaged in the registration of real estate. As previously reported by Izvestia, his father could have involved him in this. The materials also mention the Moscow notary Alexander Fedorchenko, who previously appeared in questionable real estate transactions.
A total of eight people were taken into custody. Their cases are being considered in the Gagarin District Court of Moscow and in Orenburg — at the place where other episodes were committed.
The hearings on charges against Pashayev Jr. and Prokopovich began on November 12. Their close relatives came to support the defendants.
The process began with a discussion of the terms of detention. The prosecutor asked to keep both of them in jail for another six months, reminding them that they were charged with a particularly serious crime. According to the state prosecutor, Pashayev and Prokopovich may escape or influence witnesses at large.
The defense, on the contrary, asked for the release of the defendants from the pre-trial detention center. Prokopovich's lawyer drew attention to the fact that circumstances had changed during the investigation. If his client was charged with murder during his arrest, then now the materials under this article have been separated into separate proceedings and are not being considered as part of the current process, the defender emphasized.
The court, however, sided with the prosecution and extended the arrest of both for another six months — until April 30, 2027.
At the same time, relatives and journalists did not manage to hear the court's decision. For some reason, the bailiff closed the door of the courtroom from the inside. It was opened only after the meeting was over.
After the trial, Pashayev Jr.'s lawyer, Dylan Rajavi, said that his client "did not register anything," did not admit guilt, and, in his opinion, the charge was brought "out of the blue."
The defense lawyer also stressed that neither Pashayev nor Prokopovich had anything to do with the murder. Proceedings under Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation are being conducted against an unidentified person. At the same time, the body of the apartment owner has not yet been found, and he himself is missing.
Separately, Rajavi noted that the father of Pashayev Jr. does not appear in the criminal case.
The succession of generations
Lawyer Elman Pashayev specialized in protecting the stars. Among his clients were singer Katya Lel, gymnast Daria Dmitrieva, actor Alexey Panin (listed as a terrorist and extremist in the Russian Federation and recognized as a foreign agent), as well as major businessmen and officials.
Former lawyer Elman Pashayev, who is being investigated for fraud
In 2020, Pashayev took up the defense of actor Mikhail Yefremov, who was sentenced to 7.5 years in a penal colony after a fatal accident in the center of Moscow. Shortly after this trial, the lawyer lost his status for the sixth time, this time for violating professional ethics. Subsequently, the former defender of the stars signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense and went to his military base.
In September 2024, Pashayev Sr. was detained in Moscow. He was charged with fraud on a particularly large scale. According to investigators, he promised Alexey Blinovsky, the husband of blogger Elena Blinovskaya, to release their couple from criminal liability. Pashayev received more than 47 million rubles for his services. However, according to the investigation, he had no real opportunities to influence the course of the investigation.
In January 2025, it became known about another criminal case against the former defender. As reported in the TFR, it is connected with an attempt to steal 15 million rubles. According to media reports, in 2023-2024, Pashayev offered Alexei Zakharov, accused of selling drugs, to help avoid criminal liability for this amount. Zakharov managed to transfer about 11 million rubles to him.
The investigation was handled by the Military Investigative Department of the TFR in Moscow. The materials of this case are currently being considered by the Donetsk Garrison Military Court.
Real estate fraud
For fraud on an especially large scale (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code), the defendants in the case may be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, as well as a fine of 1 million rubles, says Sergey Kolosovsky, head of the Logard law group. According to him, the very fact of the investigation into the murder of the landlord casts "an additional shadow on the defendants." However, this may not entail a more severe punishment than provided for in the article.
— Since the owner has disappeared, and a separate criminal case has been opened into his disappearance, it can be assumed that if convicted, the defendants will receive from three to six years in prison. This is the average range of punishment for such a crime," explains Sergey Kolosovsky.
The final term, according to the partner of the Pen Bar Association & Alena Grishkova's paper will depend on the role of each participant in the commission of the crime, the number of episodes, the amount of damage and mitigating or aggravating circumstances.
Real estate fraud, as noted by Alena Grishkova, remains a serious problem for law enforcement agencies and owners. Among the popular schemes, the lawyer highlights the forgery of powers of attorney and documents, the use of the vulnerable position of owners, inheritance fraud, the conclusion of several fictitious transactions and the involvement of professional intermediaries.
— Realtors, lawyers and other persons responsible for documentation may participate in this, — the expert notes.
According to Yuri Piyagin, lawyer of the Sobranie ICA, most often such schemes are based on deception, abuse of trust and the use of information about potential victims, which is plentiful today. Serious terms of imprisonment are provided for such crimes, the lawyer concludes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
