Investigators have charged a man with defrauding Zenit St. Petersburg striker Alexander Kerzhakov out of 329 million rubles ($9.3 million).
The suspect and his unidentified accomplices obtained the money from Kerzhakov under the false pretense of financing the construction an oil refinery in the Voronezh region, the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Friday.
The accused faces up to 10 years behind bars if found guilty.
Kerzhakov is well known among sports writers for having gotten involved in a spat with a reporter from The Guardian who used the striker's surname as a verb to denote profligacy, after Kerzhakov wasted a series of goal scoring chances while playing for Russia in the European Championships in 2012.
Kerzhakov responded to the put-down by saying he felt sorry that English language needed to subsume his name because it was so short of words.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
