Deferred prison sentence - Former church worker convicted of stealing funds
A Berlin cemetery employee has been sentenced to probation after being found guilty of stealing from his employer in 234 cases. The District Court of Tiergarten handed down the sentence, which includes the forfeiture of around 166,900 euros. The 50-year-old man, who used to work for the Evangelical Cemetery Association Berlin South-East, took advantage of his position of trust and exploited a lack of supervision, as stated in the verdict.
The accused had worked as the treasurer and carried out thefts from the association's offices in Karlshorst, Mahlsdorf, and Mariendorf between July 2017 and September 2021. He stole cash in 32 instances, pocketing a total of 91,850 euros. Additionally, he kept 67,940 euros from 161 customers who had made advance payments for future funeral costs. In 41 more instances, he pocketed money meant for flowers and grave markers.
During the trial, the man admitted that there wasn't much control over his actions - "it was usually just waved through." In connection with pre-payment contracts, he had falsely credited customers' payments. No customers were harmed in any of the charged cases, but the church suffered the losses. The stolen money was used for the defendant's personal expenses, he admitted.
The first signs of wrongdoing emerged when one of the customers confronted the treasurer with discrepancies in their account. The man was served with a summons in late May 2021, and a reconciliation between the parties was reached before the trial. The verdict is not yet final.
