St. Petersburg police raid homes of 50 bar workers and owners in investigation of alleged scheme to defraud drunk customers

St. Petersburg police raided the homes of 50 employees and owners of bars on the city’s Rubinstein Street, according to the Russian news site 47news.

The searches were reportedly conducted as part of a criminal investigation into alleged large-scale fraud.

According to investigators, multiple bars on Rubenstein Street were part of an organized scheme to defraud customers that lasted multiple years. The scheme allegedly involved having young women sit with wealthy-looking men and suggest they order alcohol. Once the men became intoxicated, they would be given bills for significantly more money than the cost of what they had ordered.

In addition, investigators claim the bars disguised alcohol they had made themselves as that of high-end brands. The criminal operation allegedly involved nine bars, all of which were owned by the same people. Investigators estimate the total damages at 11 million rubles (about $180,000).