Currywurst man Töpperwien rejects embezzlement charges
"Currywurstman" Chris Toepperwien feels innocent in court. The 50-year-old entrepreneur, known from Reality-TV formats like "Goodbye Germany! - The Emigrants" and "Jungle Camp", denied the accusations at the beginning of his trial in Wiener Neustadt according to news agency APA.
He is accused of making private purchases as a manager of an Austrian grill specialist dealer using company funds. In addition, the prosecution accuses him of deploying employees for private purposes. He is also accused of selling items of his employer, including knives, grill spices, and coal, at his own expense. The indictment is for embezzlement and misappropriation.
According to the indictment, Toepperwien allegedly paid for purchases - such as in hardware stores or online - using the company account and company card. Toepperwien's lawyer stated that some of the transactions were due to mistaken use of the company credit card or mistaken debits from the company account. The procedure was "far from criminal law," the lawyer said.
"That was a mistake"
Toepperwien stated that he had had the company bus used for disposing of diapers because it was common practice in the company. "It wasn't really clear to me that it was wrong." He paid for the gas and diaper disposal from his own money.
In two to three cases, Toepperwien admitted that he had mistakenly chosen the wrong payment method, resulting in the company account being charged. "That was a mistake," he said. To the charge of embezzlement, Toepperwien insisted that he had paid for the knives. He had given grill spices and a knife sharpener to people for social media postings. He had used products like coal, oil cans, and brushes for Instagram stories. The accusations were described by the defendant as "almost unbelievable."
Despite his fame from Reality TV shows like "Goodbye Germany! - The Emigrants" and "Jungle Camp", the embezzlement trial for Currywurstman's Chris Toepperwien revolves around the processes of his role as a manager, involving alleged private purchases using company funds and resources for personal use.
The entertainment value of Reality TV often overlooks the challenges faced by individuals, such as the court case of Currywurstman's Chris Toepperwien, whose reality outside the limelight follows complex financial processes deemed criminal by the prosecution.
