Frequent investor: depositors accused former priest of embezzling over a billion
Investors of the Terra Kapitalista private fund have begun to apply to the police en masse with complaints about the theft of their funds, the victims told Izvestia. The financial pyramid scheme, in which they lost more than one billion rubles, was created by a former priest, Ivan Svetly, and his managers worked all over the country. They encouraged people to take loans and invest in the fund, but when they received money, they did not always give receipts for their receipt. Now the depositors are asking law enforcement to bring the former bishop to criminal responsibility, and he himself in the meantime is trying to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against himself. About how the scheme worked and whether people have a chance to get their money back - in the material "Izvestia".
What business conducted Svetly
Several dozen private investors in Moscow and from other cities turned to the police with statements to the police on the former priest Ivan Svetly (real name - Fedorinov), found out "Izvestia". The victims claim to have been victims of his fraudulent money scheme and demand the return of millions of rubles that they invested in the investment fund "Terra Kapitalista" created by him.
Ivan Svetly, as the victims said, involved people in the investment fund, promising them to improve their financial situation. And if they had no money, he offered to arrange loans and, when a person agreed, accompanied him in the process in person or supervised him online. When difficulties arose, Fedorinov personally negotiated with familiar managers at banks, asking them to settle the loan approval. For example, at Svetly's request, they helped borrowers obtain certificates of income that exceeded their actual income.
Under the guidance of the suspect, people borrowed from banks amounts from 600 thousand to 12 million rubles and then sent them to his current account or gave them to him in cash.
- When asked how the income would be multiplied when investing in the organization, Svetly answered that the money received was used to lend to medium-sized businesses," one of the victims, Anna Roskoshnaya, who invested 5.6 million rubles in the fund, told Izvestia. - He assured that his borrowers were car dealerships, baby food factories or meat processing plants. After making a profit, these companies allegedly gave him a certain amount of money, and he divided it among his investors. But there was no set percentage, some he gave 3% of his profits to, others 10% or more.
At the same time, according to the victims, Svetly tried not to give any supporting papers for the money received from the depositors. Only in a few cases he issued a loan agreement between individuals or a receipt.
Also, said the victims of the pyramid scheme, Ivan Svetly offered them to take a car loan, insisted on its registration. After persuasion, people agreed. But they were given a loan not exactly for the cost of the car, but for a large amount, its surplus the former priest sent directly to the investment fund. In this case, he did not ask permission for this. To date, about 30 cars have been bought in this way.
- Ivan Svetly entered into trust and forced to take car loans, - said the victim Marina Rozova. - For example, our car broke down, and I shared it with him out of friendship. He expressed willingness to help, telling me that through him you can buy a car favorably. I was doubtful at first, but then Svetly convinced me that we will definitely not get a more favorable offer. In the end, I took out a car loan, but the bank gave it for more than the cost of the car. Without asking permission, Svetly immediately transferred the "surplus" to his current account.
According to the victims, the man began to attract money from private investors in about 2017-2019. At the same time, the investors did not have a common chat room - Svetly, according to them, tried not to correspond and communicated with each of them personally.
At first, Svetly paid investors interest, the amount of payments varied from 200 to 700 thousand rubles per month, depending on the amount invested and personal agreements. But in October 2024, the payments stopped. To some of his depositors the entrepreneur simply stopped transferring money and did not respond to calls and messages, to some he told them that there were temporary difficulties, but they would soon be resolved and he would pay everything.
The number of victims, according to their own estimates, is now about 70 people. But, Bright, as he himself told his victims, had more investors - at least 150 people.
In all seriousness
Ivan Svetly, as he introduced himself to potential investors, is in reality former priest John Fedorinov, now 44 years old.
A native of the Orenburg region, he graduated from the Saratov Theological Seminary, was ordained a deacon in 2001, and a year later a priest. He served in Orenburg, then in Moscow, and even managed to be a member of the Commission of the North-Eastern Vicariate for Church Education and Sunday School Activities at the Diocesan Council of Moscow. And in the summer of 2017, he was demoted from the dignity of a priest.
"Considering the absence of repentance and unwillingness to correct hereby you are hereby ejected from the ministry in connection with the proven fact of an adulterous relationship and the fact of perjury and on the basis of the following canons: the 25th and 15th rules of the Holy Apostles. The interdict is imposed on the basis of the decision of the diocesan court of the Orenburg diocese on June 8, 2017 and comes into legal force after approval by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia", - stated on the website of the Orenburg Metropolitanate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Where Ivan Svetly is now, no one knows for sure. According to the depositors, he may be abroad. "Izvestia" sent a request to the press service of the patriarchy with a request to explain what happened.
Ivan Svetly attracted many children or single mothers and women to his fund, as well as SWO fighters, former parishioners, relatives and friends, the victims said. It is these categories, like the elderly, that are most susceptible to fraudulent schemes, noted psychologist Natalia Naumova.
- In the risk zone are obedient, trusting, people in grief, stressed and anxious, - said the expert. - As well as people in a difficult life situation.
According to the victims, Ivan Svetly used various ways to rub into their confidence and forced them to take loans.
For example, Marina Rozova, a mother of many children, said that two of her six children have health problems, and the family lives on insufficient living space: 10 square meters for each of the eight people living in the apartment. She shared the same information with Ivan Svetly. He promised to help her solve her financial problems and invited her to the investment fund. As a result, the woman lost 9 million rubles.
Another victim faced health problems that she and her husband had no money to solve. In both cases, Svetly built a friendly rapport with the women, finding their pain points.
Anna Roskoshnaya said that Ivan Svetly took possession of her phone during one of the meetings and made loans for her himself.
- He went to the application of one of the banks and made a loan for the development of an individual entrepreneur for 5 million rubles and then transferred this money to his current account. In a similar way, he issued me a loan in another bank for Br600 thousand and also sent them to his account," she shared.
All the women interviewed by Izvestia also said that Ivan Svetly was nice to them at first, but as soon as they had doubts about his activities, he began to accuse them of ingratitude. Now many have him blocked, and for those who have not, he writes periodically. He contacted one of the victims on February 21 and asked her to send him a contract, according to which he should return the money and interest, which he had not paid for several months. The woman is sure that this message is another part of Svetly's fraudulent scheme, and she is not going to withdraw her statement from the police.
Is there a chance to recover the funds
Each victim who filed a police report comes as an independent individual, said lawyer Vladimir Novitsky in a conversation with Izvestia. According to him, the main task now is to unite all applications into one case, so that all pre-investigation checks were conducted simultaneously on all episodes. Thus, he believes, it will be easier to prove the unlawfulness of Ivan Svetly and his accomplices.
The expert believes that a criminal case could be initiated under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code (Fraud) or under Article 210 of the Criminal Code (Organization of or participation in a criminal association).
The mass applications of Terra Kapitalist investors to the police indicate that there are signs of fraud on a large and especially large scale, believes Igor Vakhromov, managing partner of the Protector law firm.
- The article provides for imprisonment for up to ten years and a fine," he added.
On February 13, 2025, Ivan Svetly applied to the Moscow Arbitration Court to declare himself bankrupt, according to the court's public data. The hearing is scheduled for March 26. According to Vladimir Novitsky, if the applicant is declared bankrupt, he will be able to write off all his debts and thus avoid having to pay off his creditors.
If Svetly is declared bankrupt, a financial manager will be involved in the case, insolvency administrator Iosif Fishbay told Izvestia. After that, he said, all those affected will have two months to include themselves in the register of creditors. Then, he added, the search for assets will begin, which will be used to repay debts on loans.
The success of the case will largely depend on the quality of the collected evidence - the availability of receipts, contracts, testimony and other documents, concluded Igor Vakhromov.
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