A migrant family in Angarsk faces trial over sham paternity and illegal benefits

According to investigators, a 57-year-old man registered himself as the father of his three granddaughters, helping their mother obtain Russian citizenship and child benefits.

The Investigative Directorate of the Russian Investigative Committee for Irkutsk Region has sent to court a criminal case against a migrant family from Angarsk accused of organizing illegal migration and fraudulently obtaining social benefits.

According to investigators, a 57-year-old Angarsk resident, a native of a neighboring country who holds a Russian passport, presented himself as the father of his three granddaughters, born in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Their biological father is his son, a citizen of another country. After the paternity was registered, the girls were recognized as Russian citizens.

Улица в Ангарске (архив)

The children's mother obtained a Russian passport

The children's mother, the accused man's 31-year-old daughter-in-law, was living in Russia illegally. Thanks to her daughters' status, she obtained a residence permit and, in 2022, a Russian passport. In March 2024, she applied for child benefits for two of her daughters and received more than 23,000 rubles from April 2024 through March 2025.

Forensic genetic examinations confirmed the falsification involved in registering the paternity. The defendants face charges under Articles 322.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, concerning the organization of illegal migration, and 159.2, concerning fraud in obtaining payments committed by a group acting pursuant to a prior conspiracy.