Based on information from the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia, four individuals involved in call center operations have been arrested. One of them, the head of a fraudulent call center operating under the name Morgan Limited LLC, transferred more than a million dollars to the bank accounts of Davit Kezerashvili, his sister, and his sister's son. Those detained are charged with fraud and the legalization of illegal income in particularly large amounts by an organized group. Two individuals and one legal entity have been charged in absentia.
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According to the Prosecutor's Office, the investigation revealed that the fraudulent scheme was formed by a Ukrainian citizen, in collaboration with Georgian and foreign nationals, under the company Morgan Limited, based in Georgia. Between 2019 and 2021, a coordinated criminal group operated with the goal of illegally obtaining material benefits and laundering money.
"Employees of the call center, set up in a leased space under the name Morgan Limited LLC, used various means of communication to contact citizens of European countries, deceiving them into making supposedly profitable investments on pre-established fake trading platforms.
Fraudulent call center employees remotely contacted victims via electronic devices, registering them on trading platforms and crypto exchanges, and then transferring the virtual assets purchased with the victims' funds to electronic wallets controlled by the criminal organization. Victims were shown simulated increases in their investments on these fake platforms, but when they requested to withdraw their invested amounts and profits, all communication was cut off.
In this way, the organized crime group fraudulently took possession of approximately 3,170,000 euros from citizens of Germany, Slovenia, and Slovakia.
To give a legal appearance to the fraudulently acquired assets, the members of the organized crime group placed the funds in bank accounts they controlled and integrated them into the economy, including through the purchase of real estate and other property.
An analysis of information obtained from the banking sector revealed that one of the managers of the fraudulent call center, operating under the name Morgan Limited Ltd. and arrested based on a court ruling, deposited over a million dollars into bank accounts belonging to Davit Kezerashvili, his sister, and his sister's son during the period of embezzling funds from European citizens," the Prosecutor's Office statement said.
The investigation also established that a large fraudulent call center was still operating in Tbilisi, led by one of the detainees. According to the Prosecutor's Office, hundreds of computers, mobile phones, black records, and other crime-related information were seized during the investigative actions conducted on September 5.
"Other individuals involved in the fraudulent call center activities have also been identified. Searches of the defendants' residences led to the seizure of over 800 000 US dollars in cash, luxury items, and vehicles. Based on a court ruling, assets worth several million GEL, including bank accounts and immovable and movable property owned by the defendants and their associates, have been seized to prevent further disposal or concealment," the Prosecutor's Office said.
The investigative agency is requesting that the defendants be imprisoned as a preventive measure. The charges carry a sentence of 9 to 12 years in prison.
Between 2021 and 2024, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia launched criminal prosecutions against 89 individuals and 7 legal entities involved in so-called call center activities. Hundreds of European citizens have been identified as victims, with total damages exceeding 30 million GEL, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Davit Kezerashvili, the former Minister of Defense of Georgia, businessman, and founder of Formula television company, has not responded to today's statement from the Prosecutor's Office. In 2023, when the BBC published an investigative report on the global fraudulent network, Kezerashvili stated that the accusations against him were defamatory and that he had never been involved in the call center activities.
