Russian police officer who decried corruption and abuses in YouTube videos charged with fraud

Russian YouTube cop charged with fraud

MOSCOW — Russian prosecutors are filing fraud charges against a police officer who had complained on YouTube of abuse and corruption in the law enforcement system.

The prosecutor’s office in the southern Krasnodar region said in a statement Monday that former Maj. Alexey Dymovsky embezzled about $800 while working as a narcotics investigator.

In November, Dymovsky posted three videos on Google’s YouTube site in which he said he was promised a promotion in return for jailing an innocent person. He also accused his superiors of forcing officers to fake reports on unsolved crimes.

Within days, the videos were seen by 700,000 people, provoking a public outcry and prompting several similar YouTube postings.

Dymovsky was fired and founded a rights defense group.