‘Siberian Jesus' sentenced to Russian prison after harming followers in bizarre cult
Sergei Torop, a former traffic policeman known to his followers as 'Vissarion,' meaning 'he who gives new life,' and two aides used psychological pressure to extract money from his followers and cause serious harm to their mental and physical health, Reuters reported.
Torop, 64, set up the Church of the Last Testament in a remote part of Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region in 1991, the year the Soviet Union broke up.
He was one of three men convicted Monday in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.
Torop and Vladimir Vedernikov were sentenced to 12 years, and Vadim Redkin was sentenced to 11 years in a maximum-security prison camp.
4 Vissarion, who has proclaimed himself a new Christ, conducts a service during the 'Holiday of Good Fruit' feast in a village southeast of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, August 18, 2010. Picture taken August 18, 2010.
REUTERS
4 A man looks at a portrait of Vissarion, who has proclaimed himself a new Christ, at its church in the village of Petropavlovka, 580 km (360 miles) southeast of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, August 16, 2010.
REUTERS
All three men were arrested in 2020 in a helicopter raid that involved the FSB security service, the successor agency to the Soviet KGB.
A bearded self-styled mystic with long hair, Torop claimed to have been 'reborn' to convey the word of God.
He attracted thousands of followers, some of whom flocked to live in a settlement known as the 'Abode of Dawn' or 'Sun City' at a time when Russia was battling poverty and lawlessness, according to Reuters.
4 Children of Vissarion community sing during the morning religious service in Petropavlovka village, some 700 kms southeast of Krasnoyarsk, August 18, 2003.
REUTERS
4 Vissarion, who has proclaimed himself a new Christ, leads a mass prayer in the village of Petropavlovka, about 580 km (360 miles) southeast of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk August 17, 2007.
REUTERS
He told his followers not to eat meat, smoke, drink alcohol or swear and to stop using money.
Investigators said the men brought 'moral harm' to 16 people, damage to the physical health of six people and moderate damage to another person's health.
Vedernikov had also been accused of committing fraud, the RIA state news agency reported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
an hour ago
Azerbaijan detains 7 linked to a Russian media outlet as a rift between Baku and Moscow deepens
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Seven people linked to a Kremlin-funded media outlet in Azerbaijan's capital have been detained after a raid on its office, the Interior Ministry was quoted by local media as saying Tuesday, in the latest sign of the rift between Moscow and Baku over the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russian custody. Tensions have been growing since December, when an Azerbaijani passenger jet was attacked as it approached Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, It later crashed, killing 38 of 67 people aboard, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev blamed Moscow and said Russian President Vladimir Putin had tried to 'hush up' what happened. On Monday, masked police stormed the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan. The Interior Ministry said the Kremlin-backed media outlet had continued operating via 'illegal financing,' despite having its accreditation revoked in February. Detained in the raid were Sputnik Azerbaijan's editor-in-chief Yevgeny Belousov, and editorial board director Igor Kartavykh. Five others linked to the media outlet also were detained and under investigation for alleged fraud, illegal entrepreneurship and acquiring property by criminal means. Belousov and Kartavykh were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 12 years. They also were charged with conspiracy to launder funds or other property, and conspiracy to carry out an illegal enterprise. Both were arrested and ordered held for at least four months in pre-trial detention. Sputnik's parent company, Rossiya Segodnya, said Tuesday it was 'deeply concerned' by the raid and that Azerbaijani staff members were among those detained. Diplomats from the Russian Consulate have not been grated access to its citizens who were detained, it said, and that Kartavykh's apartment had been searched and computer equipment seized. 'All these actions have no basis and have led to the blocking of Sputnik Azerbaijan,' the statement said. 'We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately resolve this unacceptable situation and release our colleagues.' The Kremlin also called for their release. 'Such measures against members of the media are absolutely not in line with generally accepted rules and norms and, of course, do not match the spirit and nature of Russian-Azerbaijani relations,' spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday. The detentions followed Russian police raids Friday on the homes of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Yekaterinburg, Russia, as part of an investigation into a number of killings dating back decades. Two brothers, Ziyaddin and Huseyn Safarov, died while in police custody and several others were seriously injured in the raids, officials said, with nine people detained. Sayfaddin Huseynli, a brother of the two dead Azerbaijanis, told The Associated Press the raids were 'an inhumane, cruel act by Russia against migrants — an act of intimidation.' Migrants from Muslim-majority countries that once were part of the Soviet Union frequently complain of discrimination at the hands of Russians. On Tuesday, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan said it would launch a criminal investigation into the two deaths. It said Azerbaijani citizens and others of Azerbaijani descent who were 'practically helpless and unable to defend themselves,' were subjected to beatings and other physical abuse by Russian officials. It attributed the deaths of 60-year-old Huseyn Safarov and 55-year-old Ziyaddin Safarov to 'post-traumatic shock caused by multiple injuries.' Huseyn had also suffered post-hemorrhagic shock, it said. Russia's Investigative Committee said Monday that one of the deaths had been caused by heart failure. It did not provide details on the second victim, but said a medical examination would be conducted to determine the cause of death for both. Azerbaijan protested the deaths by canceling a scheduled trip to Moscow by government officials, citing the 'targeted extrajudicial killings and violence against Azerbaijanis on the basis of their nationality' by Russian law enforcement. It also called off a visit to Baku by a Russian deputy prime minister, and the Culture Ministry canceled concerts, exhibitions and other events by Russian state and private institutions. Ties between Moscow and Baku have been strained since the December crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet. The plane eventually crashed as it tried to land in nearby Kazakhstan. Aliyev said it was attacked over Russia, albeit unintentionally, and rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare measures amid allegations that Russian air defense systems were trying to fend off a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny. Putin apologized to Aliyev for what he called a 'tragic incident' but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility. In May, Aliyev declined to attend Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow. Later that month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Azerbaijan, signaling closer ties between Baku and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Aliyev to express his condolences on the two deaths in Yekaterinburg, Azerbaijan's presidential press service said.
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
GameStop customers could receive cash payout following settlement over alleged privacy breach
Customers who purchased a video game from the website of popular gaming retailer, GameStop, during the past five years could be eligible for a payout under a recent settlement following an alleged privacy breach. The class-action lawsuit, filed by Alejandro Aldana and Scott Gallie, accused GameStop of sharing customers' personal information without their consent. The document said GameStop 'disclosed its online video game customers' personally identifiable information to Facebook via the Facebook Tracking Pixel without consent, in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA).' As a result of the $4.5 million settlement, impacted customers can receive a cash payment of up to $5 or a voucher worth up to about $10 to use on the retailer's website, according to the lawsuit. Customers can qualify for compensation from the settlement if they bought a game from GameStop's website between Aug. 18, 2020 and April 17, 2025, and have a public Facebook account displaying the name used at the time of purchase. 3 A person walks past a GameStop store in Manhattan on Jan. 29, 2021. REUTERS 3 Customers shop at a GameStop retailer in San Rafael, Calif., on Dec. 8, 2021. Getty Images In order to receive compensation, eligible customers must submit a claim on the settlement's website by Aug. 15. The submission form asks that claimants provide their full name, address, email, phone number and proof of ownership of a Facebook account with either a link or screenshot of the profile. 3 Employees talk with customers at GameStop in New York, New York on Jan. 30, 2021. REUTERS GameStop denies that it violated any law, but has agreed to the settlement to avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with continuing the case, according to the settlement's website. FOX Business reached out to GameStop for comment, but did not hear back by time of publication.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs jury deadlocked after rapper's defense played ‘high stakes poker': legal expert
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal trial jurors were deadlocked Tuesday after reaching a verdict on four of the five counts against the rapper. Two months after the trial kicked off, and nearly 14 hours into deliberations, jurors told Judge Arun Subramanian that they were unable to reach a unanimous decision on a racketeering charge. Advertisement The prosecution called more than 30 witnesses to the stand throughout seven weeks of testimony, while Diddy's defense team rested without calling any witnesses on their behalf — a move considered 'high stakes poker' by former federal prosecutor and Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy. 'Usually, when defense does not call witnesses, that defendant is called an inmate,' Gowdy explained. 'I've said that my entire career. That's a fancy way of calling someone an inmate. You gotta give the jury a reason for reasonable doubt and to simply say the prosecution hasn't met its burden … most jurors don't really understand what that burden is.' He added, 'Gotta give the jury a reason for doubt and if you don't put up a very significant defense, all you do is cross-examine government witnesses, then you're going to be an inmate.' Diddy told the court last week that it was his decision not to testify in his sex crimes case. The judge asked if Diddy understood he had the right to testify or not testify, and if he had discussed his rights with his attorney. Advertisement Diddy responded, 'Yes, thoroughly,' before admitting it was 'solely my decision' to not testify in his sex crimes trial. 4 Sean 'Diddy' Combs passes a note to his attorney Marc Agnifilo as U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian gives legal instructions to the jury, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, on June 30, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS Jurors began deliberating on Monday, June 30, and of the five counts, could not agree on a verdict for the racketeering charge, one of the most serious counts against the disgraced music mogul. A federal RICO violation can result in a 20-year sentence. The transportation to engage in prostitution charge could carry a sentence of up to 10 years, while sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion may carry a 20-year sentence. Advertisement 'It's very complicated — most lawyers cannot explain RICO, so to expect 12 people, average citizen jurors to understand a criminal enterprise, predicate acts … it's just a lot to ask,' Gowdy said. 'There's a reason to charge it even if you don't win. It opens evidentiary doors that might be closed, so lots of times prosecutors will charge something because it enables you to get extra evidence before a jury even though you don't really expect to get a guilty verdict on that count.' Criminal defense attorney John W. Day, owner of the Santa Fe, New Mexico-based law practice John Day Law, told Fox News Digital that jurors may have had a difficult time comprehending the RICO charge. 'Was Diddy's high-flying and maybe disturbing lifestyle just that, or can you really pick out a criminal enterprise that is the equivalent of an organized crime family?' Day said. 'But tomorrow morning the judge will be hoping that after a night of thinking about it, the jurors will have second thoughts about a split verdict on RICO — one way or the other — and come back with a unanimous verdict on that most serious charge.' Advertisement 4 Evidence Photos from the March 2024 raid at Diddy's Los Angeles mansion. Department of Justice Criminal defense attorney Nicole Blank Becker, who represented R. Kelly, explained that the predicate acts against Diddy were the 'building blocks' to establish a RICO charge. Whether a jury can agree on a verdict or not remains to be seen. 'So what happens is now they're forced to go back in there, and there's probably going to be a lot of frustration back there, more fighting back and forth,' Becker said. 'My understanding is that the jurors' verbiage was something to the effect of that they're at a point where there's unpersuadable opinions on both sides. So clearly some of the jurors thinking, 'Well, obviously he's guilty.'' The judge instructed the jury to continue deliberating for now. A second option would be to give supplemental jury instructions. Lastly, the jury could return a partial verdict. However, Judge Subramanian said he is not considering the third option at this point, and chose to have a portion of the jury charge re-read. Criminal defense attorney Eric Faddis, founding partner of Colorado-based Varner Faddis, agreed that the RICO charge was the most complicated of all the charges. 4 Sean 'Diddy' Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images 'The jury could be hung up on the different requirements of the charge, including the criminal enterprise element,' Faddis said. 'I suspect that may be a sticking point because the government didn't charge any co-conspirators and never called any other alleged members of this criminal enterprise.' Advertisement He added, 'At this point, it's unclear whether the partial verdict could give rise to any grounds for appeal.' The government emphasized in their argument that Diddy ran an alleged criminal enterprise with full control. The prosecution pointed out that the jury heard testimony, saw texts, viewed bank records and heard audio allegedly showing the 'Last Night' rapper committing crime after crime for decades. According to the prosecution, the government showed Diddy didn't take no for an answer. 'Up until today, Diddy was able to get away with crime because of money and power,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Slavik said. 'That stops now.' The verdict for the four counts reached came 'fairly quickly,' according to Austin-based criminal defense attorney Sam Bassett. Advertisement 4 Video surveillance grabs show Cassie Ventura trying to sneak out of the hotel, but Diddy catching up to her in a towel and dragging her down the hallway. U.S. Attorneys SDNY 'It seems the jury has struggled and spent most of their time debating the more serious and complex racketeering count,' Bassett noted. 'If I was the defense, I'd be concerned, but you never know what a jury will do. For this lengthy of a trial, a 13-hour deliberation is on the short side of expectations.' When the jury was brought back into the courtroom, the judge asked them to keep deliberating, saying it is their duty to discuss among themselves and form opinions. Judge Subramanian said the jurors must reach a unanimous verdict, but must not give up their convictions merely to return a verdict or satisfy the rest of the jurors. The jury was then dismissed back to the jury room. Court concluded after 5 p.m., and the jury was asked to return on Wednesday before 9 a.m. Advertisement 'Both sides stated that they do not want to accept a partial verdict,' attorney David S. Seltzer told Fox News Digital. 'This forces the jury to render a complete verdict, which ultimately could lead to a hung jury on the count at issue if they cannot render a verdict on all counts, and thus lead to a possible retrial on the hung count. 'As for appellate issues, there will be many, and depending on how the case resolves, this may be another issue for appeal.'
