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A court employee in Lower Saxony, Germany, has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for diverting over €1.4 million from state funds into his personal account over nearly a decade. The elaborate scheme involved thousands of small transfers designed to evade detection, marking what authorities are calling the largest financial damage inflicted on the state of Lower Saxony in a case of its kind.
Braunschweig (dpa/lni) – The years-long deception of a social court official has culminated in a significant prison sentence, as the Braunschweig regional court found him guilty of aggravated breach of trust. The 42-year-old defendant exploited his position within the social court office, specifically his involvement in the remuneration of lawyers providing legal aid, to systematically siphon funds into his own account beginning in 2015.
Years of Deception Unveiled
The fraudster executed his plan through approximately 2,300 payouts, each involving relatively small amounts intended to avoid raising red flags. While the full scope of the offenses extends back to 2015, the court limited the criminally relevant period to February 2019 to February 2024 due to statutes of limitations. Despite this, the investigation revealed that over €860,000 remained unaccounted for across 499 instances of particularly serious infidelity, ending up in the accounts of the defendant and his 43-year-old wife.
The defendant confessed to the allegations both to police and during the trial, acknowledging his actions. However, the ultimate destination of the stolen funds remains largely unclear. “A good life,” remarked the judge, noting the couple’s use of the illicit gains to marry, purchase a home, raise three children, and acquire numerous pets.
Wife Receives Probation for Money Laundering
The defendant’s wife was sentenced to two years of probation for money laundering, having also admitted to the allegations. The court expressed conviction that she failed to adequately question the significant discrepancy between the couple’s known income of around €4,000 and the average of €13,000 that regularly appeared in their joint account.
Exploiting Expertise and Trust
The court emphasized the defendant’s calculated and sophisticated approach. He leveraged his extensive specialist knowledge, even publishing books on the subject, to circumvent internal control mechanisms with “criminal energy.” According to the judge, previous warnings regarding similar cases failed to deter him, and he abused the trust placed in him by his colleagues.
The scale of the fraud is unprecedented for Lower Saxony. Authorities do not anticipate the recovery of the stolen funds, with the defendant admitting to an “addictive” compulsion to accumulate wealth and expressing a sense of relief at being exposed. He described a “kick” from successfully executing the scheme, even admitting to being surprised by the sheer volume of money amassed.
Prosecution and Defense Arguments
While the prosecution had sought a five-year prison sentence, the court settled on four and a half years. The sentence for the wife aligned with the prosecution’s recommendation. The defense had argued for a maximum sentence of three and a half years for the defendant, but no specific criminal charges were filed against the wife.
The judgment is not yet final and remains subject to appeal.
