“I am close to the President’s family”: Organized criminal group sentenced

In Andijan, members of an organized group who posed as “individuals close to the President’s family” and promised to secure positions, large contracts, and favorable court rulings have been sentenced.

According to court documents, over several years, they gained the trust of various citizens and obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraud and extortion. The leader of the group was sentenced to 10 years and 7 months in prison.

How did the criminal scheme work?

Kun.uz reviewed the court verdict, which states that the group was led by J.N., a 44-year-old previously convicted resident of the Sirdaryo region.

The organized group included Sh.M. and M.Z. from Andijan, D.J. from Jizzakh, and other individuals.

J.N. presented himself as a “person close to the President’s family.” The other participants found “clients” who wanted to be appointed to positions for money, obtain contracts, resolve court cases, or change land-use status.

The citizens were then introduced to J.N. and convinced that their issues could be resolved at the highest level.

$25,000 demanded for a position

In the spring of 2021, the group promised to appoint M.D. as the head of one of the enterprises in the Asaka district.

In exchange, they demanded $25,000, with a condition to pay $10,000 in advance.

According to court materials, J.N. threatened the citizen, saying that if the money was not paid, it would “not end well” for him and his family. As a result, M.D. was forced to sell his Captiva car for $10,000.

The funds obtained were spent by the group members on personal needs.

A 280 billion soum contract promised

In December 2022, an entrepreneur named D.D., who imports spare parts for trains and wagons, fell into the group's trap.

He was promised a 280 billion soum contract with “O‘zbekiston temir yo‘llari” JSC. Under this pretext, a total of $119,500 was collected from the entrepreneur in installments.

In February 2023, he was offered a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 for $75,000, and an advance payment of $45,000 was taken.

Money taken for housing construction in New Tashkent

The next episode involved a Russian citizen, V.A.

J.N. told him that he had land plots in the New Tashkent area and that he could make a large profit by building multi-story houses there.

$100,000 was requested under the guise of processing construction permits and other documents. V.A. paid $40,000 in advance for expenses, but the funds were used for personal purposes.

“Help” also promised to farmers

Several episodes related to farms were also identified in the group's activities.

In February 2025, the head of a farm in the Gurlan district of the Khorezm region was promised a positive resolution to a court case regarding the return of land. For this, $14,000 was taken from him.

Another farmer was promised that his land specialization would be changed from cotton to rice farming, and $44,000 was obtained.

Group leader imprisoned for 10 years and 7 months

By the verdict of the Baliqchi District Court for Criminal Cases dated March 12, 2026, the defendants were found guilty of committing crimes related to extortion, fraud, and bribery.

The leader of the organized group, J.N., was sentenced to 10 years and 7 months of imprisonment. Other defendants were also sentenced to various terms.

The appellate court upheld the sentencing portion of the first-instance court's verdict without changes.