Belarusian trace of Сhild Рorn sellers :: Charter'97 :: News

Niki was a regular a regular school-girl from the 6th form of St. Petersburg school who liked classic music. But everything changed when she and her elder sister started posing naked for web-sites. "My mother was on the leave and we went to resort. Accidentally she came across nudist beach. I met an artist there and started posing for his paintings", -- tells Nadya: "Soon I started to work as model for web-sites". Nadya was 14, Niki was only 11… This story has been written by media-portal "Red Herring" recently. It is interesting that Belarusian citizens can be related to this story of two sisters from St. Petersburg. Belarusian citizens play very important role in distributing Child Porn (CP) in global network. On Friday, 16 of January it was announced about arrest of one of Minsk centered group distributing Child porn through the Internet. But this group is far from been the only in this dirty business.

Arise of internet-technologies in our country started in the middle of the 90-s. Belarus was considered to be "technologic republic" as far back as it was a part of the Soviet Union. Middle of the 90-s was a period of comparative economic freedom and Belarus confirmed this status. Local home-networks FidoNet, HomeNet, SkyNet became forerunners of Internet development in Belarus. Local networks united all PC-users as long as it was the only source of alternative information.

Network attracted not only professionals and enthusiasts but active swindlers too. FidoNet created situation when members of criminal organizations and officials of law machinery had good relations. Network brought together Belarusian citizen Yevgeny Petrovsky with high ranked officers of computer crimes investigative department in structure of Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Also Petovsky met Dmitry Petiukov in the network. Undoubtedly this two persons can be called initiators of Belarusian criminality. They founded "carding" ("carding" is illegal using of other`s credit cards in internet bargains with purpose of profit) movement in Belarus. They were leaders of large criminal groups and pages of criminal cases tell about their activity.

Mr. Petrovsky adopted copy-book truth: international division of labor is global progress force. Why do you need to work together with somebody and share earnings with him if it is possible to start your own business in the Internet? It can give you incredible possibilities. Petrovsky earned starting capital on carding in Russian system "Assist". Than in year 1998 he found his segment and started to develop it.

Child Porn… There is no more profitable business in the Internet now. It`s profitability comes to thousands of percents and can be compared with drug industry and system of on-line casino. Petrovsky created web-sites www.lolita.ru and www.lolitas.ru and started cooperation with Latvian credit card processor (Internet payment system) "SMC.LV". This system became the main sluice receiving payments for viewing web-sites with Child Porn pictures and video. Also Petrovsky founded his own payment systems: first "Sunbill" than "Billcards". Later this systems served to all market of Child Porn in post-Soviet countries.

Development of Internet and activity of swindlers resulted in so intensive expansion of CP in the Internet that it worries international community. In the end of year 2001 authoritative media-portal "Red Herring" published research "Illegal child pornography is booming, thanks to the Internet--and the unwitting support of corporate America"

"In an investigation of Lolita sites, Red Herring uncovered highly organized commerce-possibly illegal - involving credit card processors (like iWest and BillCards) Thanks to the Internet`s capabilities for distribution and e-commerce transactions, this dirty business has brazenly exploded into an eerily efficient and highly profitable industry. The victims of this trade are children, many of whom live in poverty in the former Soviet Union." (See original version of the article here)

According to the author such credit-card processors act as middlemen to convert payments from consumers of CP to porno-sites owners. For their services get up to 22% from each bargain: "Among the transaction-processing companies are shadowy organizations like SunBill, BillCards, and iWest. Until last spring, SunBill was a major processor of Lolita site subscriptions. Its cheery umbrella logo appeared on many site subscription pages. According to Boris, SunBill ceased operations in late May out of fear of prosecution. Boris also claims that BillCards is now using Swiss banks to handle SunBill`s accounts."

At the time of booming of his companies Evgeny Petrovsky was earning up to USD 500.000 per month. He started launding this money by means of off-shore layouts. He built hotel in Crimea, bought immovable property (flats, cottage in Borovliany near Minsk at the price of USD 400.000)

Petrovsky could not work alone. During the years he selected people who were incarnating his plans. Naturally all the work had been carried out without organizing juridical person and without registration. Petrovsky understood that sooner or later problems would arise. To "solve" this problems he restored his relations with officers of law machinery whom he had known from FidoNet and enlisted their support.

After the article was published in "Red Herring" Interpol started full-scale war against distribution of CP in the Internet. In the beginning of year 2003 joint efforts of FBI and Interpol resulted in closing "SMC.LV" -- the largest processing sluice that specialized on service of CP selling in the Internet. But numerous requests to computer crimes investigative department of Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs give no result.

After "SMC.LV" was closed lost opportunity to get payment from CP buyers than he established contact with large Russian processing system "CyberPlat" that worked with "Platina" bank. With assistance of top-managers of the bank who had material interest all turnover from CP selling was directed to "CyberPlat".

However Interpol established contacts with Russian law machinery faster and more effective than with Belarusian. Investigation was initiated. From office memo: "As you know, three years ago "Assist" was used by large group of carders. Investigation uncovered that physically this group was situated in Belarus and it was headed by person by surname Petrovsky (his "nick" is Pet). The group disappeared after it had been discovered. All attempts to find the group were blocked by counteraction of Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs. After a while Petrovsky appeared in the Internet and created on-line billing company for servicing CP web-sites". The same office memo recommended: "to provide interested people in processing center that serves "Platina" bank with this information."

A serious scandal broke out in summer of 2002. Articles with loud titles appear in Rissian press: "Pornography story" ("Vlast" №25(478) - 2 of July, 2002), "Managers of Cyberplat.com bunt out on Lolitas" ("Kommersant" №108(2477) 26 of June, 2002), "Cyberplat.com overburden its partners and employees" ("Vedomosty" 27 of July, 2002). "Office investigation committed by Bank security service discovered that "Cyberplat" services web-sites with prohibited content. "It became clear that it was Child Porn indeed", -- said Mr. Korzunov" (Sergey Korzunov is executive director of "Cyberplat.com"). According to Korzunov payments for CP are transfer through "Cyberplat" by "payment system BillCards that is registered in domain zone of Coconut islands".

After the scandal "CyberPlat" fired about 40% of its employees and froze all unextinguished money on bank accounts. After that Petrovsky owes to porno-sites owners huge sums of money. When the question about paying this debt back arose on one of closed forums in the Internet, Petrovsky expresses himself bluntly: "It is too early to forget everything. They owe us TOO much of your money. If one bastard from "Platina" bank who owes money does not change his mind during one or two weeks, I`ll publish his home address here, on forum and I`ll give them to the press" (unprintable words were omitted). According to reliable sources administration of "Platina" bank was pressed by Moscow criminal structures.

Epilogue

Having earned enough money on illegal activity Petrovsky decided to leave on-line business because of threat of criminal persecution. He invested money to different projects. In particular substantial part of profit from CP selling was invested to Belarusian musical and TV-business. Reportedly Petrovsky is hiding from criminal persecution in Kiev, Ukraine.

photo by U2 "WAR"