Man convicted for crimes committed under banned United Brotherhood gang in Joensuu

A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for crimes committed as a member of the outlawed United Brotherhood (UB) gang, including assault and attempted aggravated extortion, Yle reports.

The North Karelia District Court ruled that Juha-Matti Markus Palviainen carried out the offences in late 2025 at a Joensuu property formerly used by the criminal organisation, which was legally dissolved in 2021. The court found that the banned group had continued its activities, citing the location of the crimes—UB’s former clubhouse—as key evidence.

Palviainen was convicted of illegal association, deprivation of liberty, assault, and attempted aggravated extortion. The court increased the severity of the sentence due to his membership in an organised criminal group. He denied still being part of UB, claiming he left in 2020, but prosecutors argued the crimes demonstrated the gang’s ongoing operations.

A second suspect, a 31-year-old man, was acquitted of illegal association charges but received a seven-and-a-half-month suspended sentence for his role in the assault and deprivation of liberty. Both men have prior criminal records.

The case began when police investigated an assault and extortion incident last autumn. Two men transported a third to the Joensuu hall, where he was beaten and threatened. Police noted that the premises still displayed UB’s signature red-and-black colours and a “memorial wall” featuring deceased members. The number “212”—a coded reference to UB—was also found on the walls.

UB, a national criminal network involved in drug trafficking and debt collection, was disbanded in 2022 after a court ruled it was organised for serious crimes. The group had roughly 120 members across seven regional chapters before its dissolution.

The district court’s ruling is not yet final and may be appealed.