- A five-decade-old individual admits to perpetrating financial deceit
A Funeral Director Faces More Prison Time for New Fraud Charges
A funeral director, previously convicted and sentenced to several years in prison early in 2023 for fraud, is now facing additional imprisonment due to new allegations of misconduct. In a court hearing on Monday at the Rostock District Court, the 50-year-old defendant, along with the court and prosecution, agreed on a potential sentence range of 29 months to 34 months. This agreement hinged on the defendant's confession, which he made at the trial's commencement, aligning with the prosecution's claims on most points.
Fraud Against an Elderly Couple in Bentwisch
The prosecution listed nine cases from February 2020 to March 2022 in their indictment. Initially, the defendant, who was friends with an elderly couple from Bentwisch (Rostock district), requested €4,200 for an energy certificate, falsely claiming that he intended to order it for a house sale. Later, he upped his demand to €30,000, fabricating claims of contaminated heating pipes. These claims were exposed as lies during the trial, as the defendant admitted to his deceit.
The couple also lent him €40,000, only receiving €9,600 back. He owed two tradesmen a total of around €50,000, paying them back with significant delay and in one instance, not in full. The court's decision will depend on the sufficiency of the defendant's statements, to be determined on Wednesday during the plea hearing and anticipated verdict.
Previous Conviction and Upcoming Appeal
The 50-year-old, also a qualified carpenter, was sentenced by the same court in May 2022 to 3 years and 10 months in prison for swindling several women out of large sums of money and exploiting their emotional vulnerability. The verdict is not yet final, with the Rostock Regional Court set to hear an appeal trial starting on November 20. These cases were features in the ARD documentary "The Grief Con Artist."
Another trial may be forthcoming, related to the purchase of a funeral home in Rostock, which the defendant took ownership of years ago. The former owners, present as spectators in the court, accuse him of failing to pay the agreed-upon six-figure purchase price. Further investigations are ongoing in this case.
The defense attorney argued that the defendant's previous misconduct towards the elderly couple in Bentwisch should not be considered 'Other' unique instances of fraud, but rather an extension of his existing pattern of deception.
During cross-examination, the prosecution pressed the defendant on why he continued to commit fraud even after facing 'Other' severe consequences, including prison time and financial losses for his victims.
