- Fake rock star sentenced to three years in prison for fraud
A fake biker has been sentenced to three years in prison by the Kiel Regional Court for fraud in several cases. Four months of this sentence have already been served due to procedural delays. The court found that the defendant acted with the intent to repeat and profit. Furthermore, although he confessed, he "trivialized" his actions, the judge said. An appeal against the verdict can still be lodged.
The 44-year-old defendant had posed as a member of a biker gang for years and extorted 69,000 euros from a friendly couple. Between 2016 and 2018, he sent four messages via the messaging service WhatsApp under the pseudonym "Cadir Oez" demanding four- and five-figure sums and making threats to the couple.
The court followed the prosecution's plea. Previously, the man had been informed of a sentencing range of three to three years and nine months after discussions. However, four to five months of this would already have been served due to procedural delays, as the indictment was raised in April 2021.
The Pleas
The prosecution demanded three years and six months imprisonment for the 44-year-old. The prosecution saw "significant criminal energy" in the planning of the acts as confirmed. Furthermore, he was charged with violating the trust relationship. The family had constantly lived in fear for their lives and existence, it was stated further.
The defense, however, called for a two-year suspended sentence. They argued that the defendant had shown remorse and changed his behavior. Furthermore, he had attempted to make amends to the injured couple. Initially, he transferred 5,000 euros to the couple and offered a monthly payment of 800 euros for the remaining amount.
As another argument for a shorter sentence, the defender compared fraud and tax evasion. Since the penalties for both offenses are comparable and the regional court has imposed suspended sentences even for higher damages, a three-year prison sentence is "too long".
More Money Involved
The man is also said to have initially defrauded a prostitute with the biker lie. The total amount of damage that the indictment initially assumed was approximately 270,000 euros.
If you subtract the 69,000 euros that the defendant extorted from the friendly couple, around 200,000 euros remain, which the woman is said to have transferred. However, the amount of the payments and the suspected pimping could not be proven, as the affected person did not want to testify in court.
The defendant communicated his demands and threats to the couple using the messaging service WhatsApp under the pseudonym "Cadir Oez". Despite attempting to make amends by transferring money and offering monthly payments, the defense argued that a three-year prison sentence for the offender is too severe, comparing it to penalties for tax evasion cases handled by the regional court.
