Russian Prosecutors Cancel Criminal Case Against Investigator Over Missing Jewelry Seized From Blogger Valeria Chekalina

Russian prosecutors have overturned the decision to open a criminal case against Nikita Tulupov, an investigator in the case of popular blogger Valeria Chekalina, who is known as Lerchek. The news agency TASS reported the reversal. The case had been opened after some of the jewelry seized during a search of her home went missing.

What went missing

Irina Volk, spokeswoman for Russia's Interior Ministry, said on Telegram that part of the jewelry taken from Chekalina's home had disappeared. According to her, the items were not entered into evidence in the criminal case and were stored improperly, which led to their loss. Volk said a case had been opened against the investigator for allegedly exceeding his authority, but she did not name him.

The search, carried out in the case against Chekalina and her former husband, turned up jewelry from Cartier, Graff, Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolex, Chopard and other brands. Its total value is 14.4 million rubles.

Chekalina's lawyer, Viktor Dugin, told TASS that once the investigation ended, the defense asked for all the seized jewelry to be returned. The investigator refused, even though the jewelry is not physical evidence and no legal restrictions had been placed on it.

Chekalina's criminal cases

Valeria Chekalina has appeared on Forbes' list of Russia's highest-earning bloggers. In 2023, she and her then-husband Artem Chekalin were charged with tax evasion and money laundering. By March 2024, both criminal cases against the couple had been closed.

In October 2024, the Chekalins, by then divorced, became subjects of a third criminal investigation, this time over illegally transferring funds out of Russia. In February 2026, Chekalina gave birth to her fourth child. In March, her partner Luis Squicciarini said she had been diagnosed with cancer, and soon afterward she was released from house arrest.

In July, Chekalina received a five-year suspended sentence and a fine of 765 million rubles for illegally transferring funds abroad. Her former husband was sentenced in April 2026 to seven years in a medium-security prison.