$1.5M via fake “Agro-investments”: how Maznichenko used WhiteSharksCapital to raise funds at 28% and simply "ghosted" investors

30 березня 2026 р., 21:24

Ігор Шульга   558   0  

$1.5M via fake “Agro-investments”: how Maznichenko used WhiteSharksCapital to raise funds at 28% and simply "ghosted" investors

The Dnipro Police Department in Kyiv has been investigating criminal case №12022105040001705 since 2022 regarding the fraudulent appropriation of funds in especially large amounts by officials of LLC «White Sharks Group». The procedural guidance is provided by the Dnipro District Prosecutor’s Office.

During the pre-trial investigation, it was discovered that the owner of the company, Maznichenko, devised the WhiteSharksCapital project, which aimed to attract investors’ funds for the purchase of agricultural equipment from the USA for leasing to the agricultural sector or sale.

Meanwhile, O. A. Maznichenko, realizing that the legal entity did not have a license to conduct financial services activities, and that obtaining one would limit the possibilities for fraudulent activities due to state regulation by the National Bank of Ukraine, decided to raise funds through the conclusion of contracts for reversible interest-free financial assistance. Maznichenko understood that such an agreement did not provide the possibility of receiving interest (investment profit) for individuals who transferred the funds.

After receiving funds from individuals, Maznichenko, having no intention of fulfilling his obligations to investors, with the aim of illegal enrichment at their expense, developed a legally null document that guaranteed the return of investments within a specified period and the payment of a reward ranging from 18% to 28% per annum on the invested amount, which was supposed to be paid according to an individual payment schedule for each investor.

The funds received non-cash as reversible interest-free financial assistance to the checking account were transferred to the official (white) and ’shadow’ sectors of the economy for further legalization. To create the external appearance of ’real’ project activity, Maznichenko rented an office on Tychyna Avenue, 1v (Silver Breeze Shopping Center), where meetings with potential investors and cash handovers took place.

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To the position of director, the fraudster recruited Trokhymchuk Maksym Volodymyrovych. Since January 2021, false information about the project’s profitability has been disseminated through the «UkrInvestClub» channels on the Internet platforms «YouTube» and «Telegram», administered by officials of LLC «UkrInvestShow».

Overall, the fraudsters misappropriated over 1.5 million dollars. To conceal the crimes, they claimed that more than 200 agricultural machines were purchased, over 500 farmers were credited, and agricultural crops were harvested on an area of about 20 thousand hectares, which did not correspond to reality.

As a result of this criminal activity, O.A. Maznichenko and M. V. Trokhymchuk fraudulently obtained individuals’ funds totaling 8 million hryvnias. The funds were withdrawn through LLC «Anspharm Form» and sole entrepreneur Artem Konchakivskyi (TIN 3252115694).