Shabutdinov Ayaz Rifatovich

Biography

2025: Full guilty plea in fraud case

Businessman Ayaz Shabutdinov, who has been in jail for more than a year on charges of fraud, pleaded guilty in full at a court hearing. This was announced on May 5, 2025 by representatives of the entrepreneur.

I sincerely apologize to anyone who has had unreasonable expectations regarding the educational value of our programs. I admit my guilt, repent and am ready to work hard to restore trust, - said the entrepreneur.

According to information RBC Ayaz Shabutdinov is charged with fraud on an especially large scale committed by an organized group (part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code). According to investigators, he sold educational courses on how to successfully start a business. Customers paid for them from 60 thousand to 12 million rubles. The total amount of damage exceeded 57 million rubles.

The entrepreneur's accomplices acted on behalf of controlled legal entities, including Like Center LLC. According to the prosecution, Shabutdinov personally ensured the development of texts of trainings and contracts or offers for the provision of educational services in order to create a false idea that programs are able to guarantee financial protection in any life situations, RIA Novosti reports.^[1]

In November 2023, Shabutdinov was detained and placed under arrest in a pre-trial detention center in Moscow. On April 17, 2025, the Presnensky Court of Moscow began consideration of the criminal case on the merits^[2]

According to the defense of Ayaz Shabutdinov, the entrepreneur has already compensated more than 70 victims, and this process continues.

We, as a defense, support his decision. Our business is to follow his will and do everything so that the court appreciates this step. In the end, few people decide on this, and this also speaks of his intention to rectify the situation and close this issue honestly, - said lawyers Dmitry Grigoriadi and Kaloy Akhilgov.

Earlier, the business ombudsman of the Russian Federation Boris Titov spoke in defense of Shabutdinov, and the lawyers of the accused provided hundreds of thanks from Like Center students and examinations conducted by Moscow State University and Plekhanov PRUE, who did not find corpus delicti in the actions of Ayaz Shabutdinov.

According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities for May 2025, Ayaz Shabutdinov is a co-founder of Like Center LLC, whose mission, as stated on the organization's website, is to develop human entrepreneurial potential.

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