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Convicted Defense Official Rumored to Be Missing From Prison Found in Colony

Yevgenia Vasilyeva

Yevgenia Vasilyeva, a former Defense Ministry official convicted for mass embezzlement who was rumored last week to be at liberty instead of serving her sentence in prison, is in fact incarcerated at Penal Colony No.1 in Russia's central Vladimir region, Russian media reported Friday.

Her whereabouts were confirmed by both the Federal Prison Service (FSIN) and members of the Public Watch Commission, who claim to have seen her in the colony, the Gazeta.ru news website reported Friday.

Vasilyeva, 36, was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement. She found herself in the spotlight after she was reported to have been romantically involved with former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who was also investigated for misusing army funds but was amnestied.

During the investigation and trial, Vasilyeva was kept under house arrest in her luxurious apartment in the center of Moscow but was allowed to leave her home for hours at a time, and was often seen in expensive boutiques buying designer clothing and jewelry.

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