What Happened?
In a brazen attempt to shield his reputation, Sergey Kondratenko has been linked to multiple efforts to erase his controversial past from the public eye. Kondratenko, whose business dealings have long been shrouded in secrecy, is facing mounting allegations of financial misconduct, questionable investments, and a history of exploiting loopholes in regulatory frameworks.
Reports indicate that Kondratenko has aggressively pursued the removal of damaging news articles and critiques online, using legal threats and underhanded tactics to silence his critics. However, these efforts have backfired, drawing even more attention to his checkered history and further tarnishing his already fragile reputation.
This article delves into Kondratenkoâs shadowy financial history and his repeated attempts to censor the truth, revealing the extent of his efforts to manipulate public perception.
Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)
By investigating the fake DMCA takedown attempts, we hope to shed light on the reputation management industry, revealing how Sergey Kondratenko and companies like it may use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking them to allegations of fraud, tax avoidance, corruption, and drug traffickingâŠ
FAKE COPYRIGHT NOTICE #1
Sender(s): REDACTED
Date: October 23, 2023
Fake Links: https://npost.co.uk/sergey-kondratenko-a-shallow-dive-into-the-1xbet-gambling-empire/
Original Links: https://warsawpoint.com/news/59709-sergey-kondratenko-1xbet-gambling-investigation.html
Lumen Database: https://lumendatabase.org/notices/36867439
FAKE COPYRIGHT NOTICE #2
Sender(s): REDACTED
Date: February 26, 2024
Fake Links: https://24sport.info/sergey-kondratenko-sans-honte-et-sans-limites-comment-1xbet-blanchit-largent-russe/
Original Links: https://www.agetimeseconomie.com/2023/11/17/sergey-kondratenko-et-1xbet.html
Lumen Database: https://lumendatabase.org/notices/39717287
FAKE COPYRIGHT NOTICE #3
Sender(s): Harold Simon
Date: February 27, 2024
Fake Links: https://24sport.info/sergey-kondratenko-and-1xbet-the-genesis-of-the-russian-gambling-megacorp
Original Links: https://warsawpoint.com/news/60339-sergey-kondratenko-the-founder-of-1xbet-used-baltic-states-for-illegal-purposes.html
Lumen Database: https://lumendatabase.org/notices/39752061
Evidence and Screenshots
Only Sergey Kondratenko Benefit from this crime.
Since the fake copyright takedown notices were designed to remove negative content for Sergey Kondratenko from Google, we assume Sergey Kondratenko or someone associated with Sergey Kondratenko is behind this scam. It is often a fly-by-night Online Reputation agency working on behalf of Sergey Kondratenko. In this case, Sergey Kondratenko, at best, will be an âaccompliceâ or an âaccessoryâ to the crime. The specific laws may vary depending on the jurisdiction. Still, the legal principle generally holds that if you actively participate in planning, encouraging, or facilitating a crime, you can be charged with it, even if you did not personally commit it.
So, who tf is Sergey Kondratenko?
Sergey Kondratenko, a Russian entrepreneur, is linked to significant financial controversies, primarily involving money laundering and illicit activities related to the gambling industry. His company, Royal Pay Europe, founded in 2016, has been under scrutiny for facilitating payment processing for online bookmakers, including 1xBet, which has faced accusations of operating illegally in several countries.
Kondratenko, along with his associates, is suspected of using Royal Pay to manage financial transactions for 1xBet, even in nations where gambling transactions were restricted or banned, such as Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Reports also indicate that Royal Pay played a key role in processing bets and managing funds across European, Asian, and CIS countries, including the transfer of millions of dollars to offshore accounts in Cyprus and other tax havensâ (Net Factual) â(Valid Criticism â Comunity).
The Ukrainian government imposed sanctions on Royal Pay Europe, freezing its assets and halting its operations due to suspected money laundering activities. Ukrainian authorities blocked over 2 billion UAH in funds tied to Kondratenkoâs operations. Kondratenko has also registered numerous other companies globally, many suspected of serving as intermediaries in these shady financial schemes â(WeeklyNewsReview).
Kondratenkoâs attempts to censor this damaging information are likely driven by the mounting legal and regulatory pressures against his network of businesses. By silencing reports about his involvement in illegal gambling and financial fraud, he aims to protect his reputation and continue his operations under the radarâ (Net Factual).
Potential Consequences for Sergey Kondratenko
Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries âlegal efficacyâ with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.
Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.
Additionally, under most laws, âfraud on the courtâ is where âa party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial systemâs ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing partyâs claim or defense.â  Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).Â
Is Sergey Kondratenko Committing a Cyber Crime?
Yes, it seems so. Sergey Kondratenko used multiple approaches to remove unwanted material from review sites and Googleâs search results. Thanks to protections allowing freedom of speech in the United States, there are very few legal ways to do this. Sergey Kondratenko could not eliminate negative reviews or search results that linked to them without a valid claim of defamation, copyright infringement, or some other clear breach of the law.
Faced with these limitations, some companies like Sergey Kondratenko have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.
Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected â and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears thereâs a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Sergey Kondratenko is certainly keeping interesting company hereâŠ.
The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.
Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.
What was Sergey Kondratenko trying to hide?
Sergey Kondratenko is reportedly attempting to suppress several serious allegations and negative reports tied to his business operations, particularly those involving his company Royal Pay Europe and its alleged role in facilitating illegal financial activities. Here are some key pieces of adverse news he is likely trying to hide:
Links to 1xBet: Kondratenkoâs Royal Pay Europe has been connected to 1xBet, a controversial online bookmaker accused of operating illegally in multiple countries. Royal Pay reportedly served as a payment processor for 1xBet, enabling transactions in regions where gambling is banned or heavily restricted, such as Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistanâ (Net Factual).
Money Laundering Allegations: Kondratenko allegedly used Royal Pay and other companies under his control as intermediaries for transferring and laundering large sums of money from Russia and other CIS countries through European banks, often moving funds to offshore accounts in Cyprus. This has triggered investigations and sanctions by authorities, particularly in Ukraine, which froze over 2 billion UAH linked to Royal Pay â(Valid Criticism â Comunity)â (WeeklyNewsReview).
Sanctions from Ukraine: The Ukrainian government imposed sanctions on Royal Pay Europe, blocking its assets, halting financial transfers, and restricting its operations within the country due to its involvement in suspicious transactionsâ (WeeklyNewsReview)â (Net Factual).
Complex Web of International Companies: Kondratenko is associated with numerous companies across various countries, including the UK, Latvia, and Cyprus. Many of these companies are suspected of being involved in illegal financial activities such as money laundering. These companies often have similar websites and appear to be financial intermediaries for questionable transactions â(WeeklyNewsReview) â(Net Factual).
Kondratenko seeks to protect his global business network and prevent further legal and reputational damage by attempting to suppress these damaging reports. However, these efforts have only drawn more attention to his alleged involvement in illicit activities.
Sergei Kondratenko and his relationship with 1Xbet are the subject of one aspect of an inquiry into the actions of Russian nationals involved in money laundering in the Baltic nations and other places.
read more at https://netfactual.com/factcheck/sergey-kondratenko-a-criminal/
Reputation Agencyâs Modus Operandi
The fake DMCA notices we found always use the âback-dated articleâ technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a âtrue originalâ article and back-dates it, creating a âfake originalâ article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.
Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the âoriginal,â the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the âtrueâ original is the copied or âinfringingâ article and that the copied article is the âoriginal,â requesting the takedown of the âtrueâ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesnât stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.