A business man jailed over a broken window in Russia is making headline news today. According to Fox News , Mike Zaltsman of Boston was thrown into jail for a broken a window in an office he rented in Russia, and has been locked up since April. Zaltsman went to Moscow in 2013 with Tim Tebow, in hopes of getting him on a $1 million-per-game contract. However, Zaltsman’s efforts failed, and now he’s behind bars for something most people would call trivial. However, this happens quite a bit in Russia.
“The case puts into relief the unpredictable business environment in Russia, where thousands of people have ended up in jail as the result of business disputes or raids by business rivals. Even seemingly petty crimes are routinely used to keep people in Russian prisons for months or even years,” reports Fox News .
The man jailed over a broken window in Russia is both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of Russia. He has denied accusations made against him, one of which includes him not keeping up with his rent. He has been charged with “hooliganism,” which is described as a unlawful behavior in the form of rioting, bullying, and/or vandalism.
According to News Observer , Zaltsman has a different view of what actually happened. He claims that Andrei Gorodilov (a Russian business man) targeted him, and is the reason he’s in jail.
“Gorodilov sent about 30 men, some armed, to occupy the office and smash furniture belonging to Zaltsman’s businesses. Zaltsman also claims they stole office equipment worth around $20,000,” the report claims.
However, Zaltsman’s side of the story isn’t exactly being taken seriously. He has been in a jail cell with about 15 other “criminals,” with hardly any room. Dmitry Popkov, the former coach of Zaltsman’s team, was also arrested, and is suffering from a chronic health condition without access to medicine or proper care.
Being jailed over a broken window in Russia has drastically changed Mike Zaltsman’s life.
“In two civil cases brought against Zaltsman, the courts sided with Gorodilov and said the eviction was legitimate. The court ruled that Zaltsman’s company had stopped paying rent and had therefore ceased to be the legal tenant. Zaltsman insists he paid rent in compliance with the terms of the lease. Neither he nor his company was represented at some of the hearings.”
Being thrown in jail in a foreign country can be very difficult because of the different legal systems in the world. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , a woman named Stacey Addison has been jailed in East Timor after being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was in a cab overseas when police pulled the driver over, and another passenger was found with drugs. Addison was considered guilty by association, even though she didn’t even know the other person riding in the cab with her. She has been in jail for several months.
[Photo courtesy of Parda Phash]
