A situation bordering on absurdity has developed today around the Lamberi suburban community in the Vsevolozhsk District of the Leningrad Region: the creator of the VIP-class community, its developer and investor, and, simultaneously, the chairman of the Lamberi Homeowners’ Association, Alexey Nikolaevich Potapov, has declared war on its residents and is demanding money from them that he himself spent. The sum in question is over 60,000,000 rubles. 

When advertising Lamberi, Potapov promised future land buyers a VIP-class community near St. Petersburg, complete with a secure perimeter, parks, ponds, sports and play areas, and playgrounds, built in a refined English style. An entry fee of up to 15 million rubles was offered for the opportunity to live in this unique setting. After the community’s completion, Alexey Potapov promised, all lawns, ponds, parks, utilities, and so on would be transferred to the ownership of the HOA. The offer was excellent, so the future Lamberi residents accepted it without hesitation.

From the advertising brochure:

 

The Lamberi. Northern Capital Suburb cottage community is located on 17.5 hectares in the Vsevolozhsk District, just 6 km from St. Petersburg. The collection of 43 mansions is designed in a unified architectural style inspired by classical British architecture. The community’s infrastructure includes a community and business center, which will house a private school, office space, and a spa complex. Homes with various basic layouts, ranging from 235 to 750 square meters, are available for sale, depending on family size and the owner’s personal taste. The price of a 255 square meter home with a 1500-square-meter plot is approximately 30 million rubles.

And then things got interesting. The land on which the village is located belongs to Alexey Potapov. Potapov, naturally, became the chairman of the HOA . The administrative and economic activities of the village, including its completion, installation of utilities, and so on, were managed by Potapov himself. Since all this required expenses, who lent them to the HOA as a loan at a very hefty interest rate? Again, Alexey Nikolaevich Potapov. And he, too, signed for the loan. And he spent the proceeds on improving the plots of land that belonged, and still belong, to him. He also spent the proceeds on creating the internal infrastructure, which he also owns.

In principle, this is a relatively acceptable course of action if construction needs to be done quickly and the developer has the available funds. However, earlier this year, the multifaceted Potapov refused to hand over all of the above to the HOA. The owners of the plots in Lamberi were offered a purchase, but not entirely. The water metering unit building, built with HOA funds, was gifted to the builder’s son, Danila Alekseevich Potapov, who is willing to lease it to the community for a modest 100,000 rubles per month. The reason for this sudden change of heart has been a source of futile speculation in Lamberi for six months now.

Naturally, the village residents were unhappy with this, and after holding a duly organized meeting, they elected a new chairman. It then became clear that the HOA’s funds—including those received by Potapov as loans from Potapov—were being spent not only on public spaces but also on plots of land belonging to Alexey Nikolaevich himself, which he then sold at a high price. And when the audit committee tried to separate the wheat from the chaff and determine exactly how much money had been siphoned off, it turned out that the financial documents were missing from the office, and the accountant had been fired.

And now for the best part! Offended by the residents of Lambery, who refused, figuratively speaking, to "relax and think about England," Alexey Nikolaevich Potapov decided to punish them. And today, he’s suing the Lambery Homeowners’ Association to immediately repay the loans he essentially gave to himself. A total of 61,000,000 rubles, including accrued interest.

Meet Alexey Nikolaevich Potapov, born in 1967, previously convicted

It’s clear that the court will sort this matter out, and there’s even hope that Potapov Sr. himself will ultimately be sent to the appropriate, not-so-distant places under Article 159, Part 7 of the Russian Criminal Code. This will be his second stint behind bars, so the trip is unlikely to surprise him. But for the village residents, lured by the prospect of English chic and the promised peace, the hassle of restoring justice will be a real pain.

Although, from an outside perspective, the situation is fascinating. The scam was so powerfully conceived and executed so spectacularly—it’s worth making a movie about! It’s a shame Andrei Konstantinov didn’t live to see it—he could have used it for another book about gangster Petersburg. But maybe Yevgeny Vyshenkov will be interested and write something too?