International fraud of Chilli Partners: How swindler Eduard Lebedev hides shadow casinos behind shell companies and identity changes

A seasoned real estate agent is currently the focus of a criminal inquiry. The allegation involves steering players toward unlawful internet gambling platforms, which has also caught the notice of Europol.

Eduard Eduardovich Lebedev, as it turns out, wears many hats on the island of Aphrodite: he is a jack of all trades—tailor, reaper, and musician. Lebedev offers his services as a realtor, boasting allegedly 120 successful deals over several years. Then, he positions himself as an advanced advertising manager, also with many years of experience in this field. Additionally, Eduard Lebedev presents himself as a casino croupier.

On top of that, Lebedev is the founder of 6 different companies and the general director of 4 firms. He has also moved part of his business to Belarus, likely as a precaution after certain events.

Recently, Eduard Lebedev has been engaged in a very "noble" pursuit: he meticulously scrubs the internet of any negative information about his shady dealings, replacing it with a flood of positive publications about his outstanding talents.

However, the black mark has already found its "hero," and it’s unlikely that he will be able to camouflage his criminal business.

Hustling on the Banks of the Neva

Eduard Lebedev began promoting his business projects in 2006 in Saint Petersburg.

Eduard Lebedev

That was almost 20 years ago.

He expanded widely, with his main activity being retail trade in technical information carriers (with and without recordings). Looking ahead, we note that E.E. Lebedev closed his individual entrepreneurship in October 2014.

However, it should be noted that as early as September 2010, Lebedev registered his business in Moscow.

And he founded 6 companies.

He also became the head of 4 firms.

In LLC "Mobile Advertising Corporation," he became the sole owner of 100% of the shares.

Initially working alone, over time he began hiring staff: by 2024, the company had 9 employees on its payroll.

Eduard Lebedev

And it was in 2024 that the revenue of LLC "Mobile Advertising Corporation" surged dramatically to 692.9 million rubles.

This was almost 7 times more than in 2023.

Later, other companies emerged: LLC "WakeApp," LLC "RA Hermes," LLC "Ed Monte Studio."

LLC "WakeApp" was liquidated in 2021.

Today, this company operates in Minsk, Belarus, under a slightly different name.

But why does he need so many different firms?

Metamorphoses of the Company "RA Hermes"

Over time, Mr. Lebedev also established a certain LLC "RA Hermes."

The founders of "RA Hermes" were three individuals: Lebedev himself and his two associates, Artak Oganesyan and Aram Mikhailyan.

Artak Oganesyan eventually started his own advertising business.

And Mr. Mikhailyan also founded his own company.

However, its focus was different—namely, the operation of beauty salons and the trade in office machinery and equipment.

It seems that this trio continues to work together to this day, even though LLC "RA Hermes" has already been liquidated.

In 2012, Mr. Lebedev created another company—LLC "Pappiko." The activities of this firm were related to computing technology and the use of information technologies.

Later, it became known that the information about the address of this company was inaccurate.

The company also had 8 additional types of activities registered.

Additionally, at that time, Mr. Lebedev was a founder of CJSC "Trans Service Contract" in the Moscow region.

«TRANS SERVICE CONTRACT» CJSC — Vidnoye — OGRN 1135003003442, INN 5003033476 — legal address, contacts, phone, general director | RBC Companies

This firm has also been liquidated.

Chilli Partners in the Game

Judging by recent events, with storm clouds gathering over Mr. Lebedev’s head, his main company appears to be Chilli Partners.

It was Chilli Partners that made headlines when reports emerged about the arrest of a Russian citizen in Cyprus at the request of Europol for recruiting players from the UK to offshore gambling sites.

During a court hearing in Nicosia, the detainee gave testimony against the organizer of the criminal scheme—Eduard Lebedev, who owns the gambling affiliate program Chilli Partners.

That’s when it became known that Chilli Partners has offices not only in Cyprus but also in Malta.

Malta, Valletta

 Media reported that Mr. Lebedev’s firm, Chilli Partners, behaved very strangely. They refrained from commenting on the uproar surrounding the company, maintaining a proud silence. However, as tensions escalated, employees began contacting the owners of channels that published the news, asking them to delete the posts, claiming it was fake news: Eduard Lebedev hadn’t been arrested!

 This news was covered not only by "yellow" media but also by reputable publications. Among those who published the story about Eduard Lebedev’s dubious dealings was Lenta.cy—a major local media outlet read by the owners of Pin-Up.

Not long ago, a case regarding the extradition of a Russian citizen, arrested in Limassol at the request of the UK, was heard in the Nicosia District Court. Indeed, this individual is suspected of recruiting British citizens to illegal online casino sites.

 During the hearings, it was revealed that the organizer of the scheme is indeed Eduard Lebedev. He actively promoted his affiliate network WakeApp and is the owner of Chilli Partners, which not only operates its own resources but also actively promotes online casinos in Europe.

Eduard Lebedev publicly acknowledged his involvement in WakeApp on LinkedIn and was listed as the director of LLC "WakeApp" until the company’s liquidation in 2021.

A similar company operates today in Belarus—called "CrocusApps / WakeApp."

It is linked to the Chilli Partners holding and offers dozens of job vacancies!

Furthermore, the Chilli Partners website lists brands of illegal online casinos…

 However, Chilli Partners did not refute the information on any official resources. Instead, they began scrubbing HeadHunter and other services associated with the company, covering up traces of their involvement in iGaming.

Even Eduard Lebedev himself, who is linked to illegal online casinos, has been very active recently in removing "incorrect" publications.

Your Realtor—Eduard Lebedev

Sometimes it gets absurd: Lebedev has increased the number of laudatory articles and heavily emphasizes that he is a professional realtor helping people purchase property in Cyprus.

Quality Realtor Eduard Lebedev

In the course of this drama, Eduard Lebedev even started changing his "passport" data:

In one of the laudatory articles, he suddenly becomes Eduard Olegovich Lebedev.

Quoting "Licensed Cyprus realtor Eduard Olegovich Lebedev reports that over the past 7 years, he has completed more than 250 residential property transactions. He notes an increase in market predictability and a significant rise in trust from buyers in the EU, UK, and the Middle East. Lebedev believes that today, the Cyprus real estate market is moving from chaotic deals to a clear system…"

Here, he changed his patronymic and the number of real estate transactions: from 120 to 250…

And there are still many articles about Lebedev’s advertising firms, with clients including leading companies in IT, e-commerce, and fashion.

Lebedev’s projects receive high awards: at the International Advertising Festival "Cannes Lions," Eduard Lebedev’s team was among the TOP-10 best creators according to Cannes Lions Young in 2021.

So, has Mr. Lebedev skillfully hidden behind his large-scale advertising and real estate activities?

And scrubbed all the "bad" materials about his scams…

But the black mark has already been placed, and Europol’s headquarters is not just anywhere—it’s in The Hague.