The CEO of Jam has been arrested on suspicion of fraud and blocking the film Hands Up!

Andrey Cherkasov, the CEO of the music publishing house "Jam", was arrested in Moscow on suspicion of fraud on an especially large scale. He has been formally charged and the court has set a deadline for the investigation until February 20, 2026.

In the course of the investigation concerning the charge of arbitrariness (art. 330 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), which was subsequently merged with the case of attempted fraud (art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), it was established that Cherkasov and his accomplices on December 10, 2024 took illegal actions to block the film “Hands Up!” on popular Russian streaming platforms.

Musician Sergei Zhukov appealed to investigator Alexander Bastykin for assistance, claiming that Cherkasov used a fake 2006 document signed by Andrei Malikov to claim rights to the band's songs. In this regard, the office of the publisher was searched.

Andrey Cherkasov is known for his practice of buying rights to musical works for the purpose of litigation on related rights. Many believe he uses questionable legal methods. In particular, last year he sued Soundkey, representing the interests of the composer Krylatov, without having the authority to do so.