A Krasnodar Territory district court on Thursday found Sergei Tsepovyaz guilty of covering up the slaying of twelve people in a bloody massacre in Kushchevskaya village in 2010, and fined him 150,000 rubles ($4,570).
Wealthy farmer Server Ametov, his companion, and ten others, mostly women and children, were killed one night in November 2010 in the village of Kushchevskaya in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Territory. The crime was committed by a gang under the control of Sergei Tsapok.
Investigators revealed Tsepovyaz was not involved in the original crime and was not a member of the gang, but was aware of all the details, and that he burned documents confirming the purchase of fuel that was used by the gang to burn down Ametov’s home. Tsepovyaz was convicted for crime concealment.
Prosecutors asked the court to fine Tsepovyaz 200,000 rubles ($6,000). The defense argued that this penalty was excessive, and the fine was reduced to $4,570 due to the defendant’s financial difficulties and the fact that he has two young children.