Seducing official: ex-assistant to the head of Rosselkhoznadzor received 12 years for debauchery and bribery

The victim of Dmitry Natarov still needs psychological help

12 years in a maximum security colony—this is the severe punishment the court sentenced to the former assistant head of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control (Rosselkhoznadzor), Dmitry Natarov. Themis “derived” this term by adding the punishments for two crimes – 6 years for seducing a minor and 10 years for a bribe.

The girl, of whom a high-ranking official was accused in the past of seducing her, did not come to the verdict (at the time of the crime she was 13 years old, now she is 19). Her father, a former close friend of the family and a veteran of the Vityaz special forces, did not come to see the offender. He believes that Natarov is doubly guilty, since he betrayed friendship and abused trust.

Dmitry Natarov came to the verdict in sports uniform and with a sports bag, where he packed the essentials needed for prison (he was awaiting the court verdict under house arrest). It was clear that he did not particularly hope for an acquittal. He looked sad and depressed. In general, he bore little resemblance to the official whose photographs once graced the website of the Ministry of Agriculture.

This high-profile story became public in March 2020, when a criminal case was opened under Article 135 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “depraved acts” against an unidentified person. The girl’s father wrote a statement to the Investigative Committee. “MK” talked about her in detail.

In short: the two families had been friends for many years, visited each other, and celebrated holidays together. The girl who became the victim in the case grew up under Natarov’s eyes. The criminal event itself (in terms of seducing a minor) took place in 2016, when she was 13 years old. According to the investigation and the court, Natarov began sending her messages with declarations of love, and agreed to meet in private places. All this lasted until 2019, until my father found out about the strange friendship…

On the Internet there is a screenshot of a correspondence between a parent and a person identified as Natarov. And he admits that he committed a terrible crime, says that he truly fell in love, begs him not to disgrace him, offers to give up all his property and life.

Natarov was fired from the Ministry of Agriculture after a scandal arose. But that was only the beginning. Soon another case appeared – about a bribe. During the investigation, the girl’s father said that Natarov kept large sums of money with them – as much as $2 million. There is another important nuance: the girl’s father is the head of one of the companies that is related to the warehousing and storage of grain. That is, to agriculture – the area for which the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible, where Natarov held a serious position. The official’s defense also focused on this: they say that a friend tried to slander the civil servant so that Natarov would be kicked out of work, and the money would, accordingly, go to him. The feeble attempt was unsuccessful. Moreover, the prosecutor’s office confiscated property worth a total of more than 400 million rubles from the ex-assistant of the head of Rosselkhoznadzor. This includes a house and a plot of land in Krasnogorsk, a two-story apartment and a parking space in Moscow, two expensive cars, three watches, two sabers of the 19th century.

The criminal case was considered in a closed trial because the victim was a minor.

“This case was difficult, we felt opposition from Natarov,” says the lawyer of the girl’s family, Shota Gorgadze. – Obviously, he had patrons. Natarov did not ask for forgiveness at the trial. If he had repented, then perhaps the injured party would have asked the court for leniency. The girl has grown up, but she is still undergoing psychological rehabilitation. The state prosecution asked for 14 years, they gave 12. The parents are satisfied and believe that this is fair, although harsh. The law has triumphed. And this is an example: no matter how influential a criminal is in our time, he will not escape responsibility thanks to his connections.

This story will continue. Natarov does not agree with the verdict and will file an appeal. In the meantime, he will spend time in a pre-trial detention center while waiting for the next instance.