site.btaFour Men Arrested in Plovdiv for Participating in Money Laundering

The Plovdiv District Prosecutor's Office has charged four men with participating in an organized criminal group for money laundering. The group operated in Plovdiv between January and October 7. On October 7, a specialized police operation was conducted during which money in EUR and BGN, computer equipment, telephones and other material evidence were seized.

Evidence gathered indicates that some of the defendants were involved in recruiting female candidates for erotic modelling and creating profiles for them on an erotic website. However, they diverted payments from clients to their own bank accounts. For example, one of the young women was unaware that the USD 2,800,000 she had earned over the course of a year had been diverted in this way. The undeclared funds were invested in the purchase of real estate, gold, luxury cars, among others. An investigation is underway to gather evidence of money laundering and tax crimes.

The men have been detained for up to 72 hours by order of the supervising prosecutor. On 10 October, the Plovdiv District Prosecutor's Office will file a request with the court for them to be detained in custody.