Lithuanian court sentences Kandrotas to 18 months in prison
Lithuania’s Court of Appeals on Thursday handed down a final real sentence of 18 months in prison to Antanas Kandrotas, also known by the alias Celofanas, according to a report by public broadcaster LRT.
Kandrotas was previously sentenced to four years in prison in a case involving tax crimes related to the illegal trade of fuel and tax evasion. A panel of three judges acquitted him of some of the charges. The ruling also adjusted sentences for other men convicted alongside him and corrected related civil claims.
The verdict is now in force and must be executed, though it may still be appealed to the Lithuanian Supreme Court.
In April, the same panel reviewed the case against Kandrotas-Celofanas and his co-defendants on charges including fraud, illegal handling of excise goods, submission of false data, and fraudulent accounting. Kandrotas-Celofanas is currently in Belarus and did not attend the verdict announcement. Pro-Russian activist Laurynas Ragelskis, who appeared in court, caused a disturbance by attempting to film the proceedings. The judge prohibited filming, and court staff and a police officer were called to restore order. Ragelskis later calmed down and was allowed to hear the verdict in the courtroom alongside journalists.
The Kaunas Regional Court first delivered a verdict in this case in 2023. In January 2024, police detained Kandrotas-Celofanas after the Court of Appeals convicted him in two separate financial crime cases. In June 2025, he was released on parole after serving more than three-quarters of his sentence and meeting the conditions for early release.
Kandrotas-Celofanas has been convicted in other criminal cases as well. Earlier this year, the Vilnius City District Court found him guilty of inciting hatred against former MP Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius based on sexual orientation and sentenced him to one year in prison. In September 2025, he was also convicted for rioting near the Seimas (Lithuanian parliament) and received a four-year prison sentence. The rulings in the hatred incitement and rioting cases from August 2021 are not yet final.