The spokesman for Russia's federal censor is placed under house arrest in an alleged fraud investigation

Update: On October 12, a court placed Ampelonsky under house arrest. Sources tell the news agency RBC that he is potentially suspected of involvement with fictitiously registering Roskomnadzor employees. Russian officials have not commented on the case, and Ampelonsky’s lawyer says his client denies the charges.

Vadim Ampelonsky, the press secretary for Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal censor, has been named in a fraud case, a source familiar with the situation told the website VC.ru, which reported no further details about the investigation.

On October 10, the anonymous Telegram channel OPER Slil claimed that police investigators raided the office of a Roskomnadzor-affiliated enterprise. Two other Roskomnadzor officials are also reportedly named in the criminal case.

According to VC.ru, a district court in Moscow considered and rejected a call to place Ampelonsky under arrest on October 5. A source told the website that he hasn't been to work in a week.

Ampelonsky's office phone number appears to have been disconnected, and he has stopped answering Meduza's messages on Facebook.