Investigators from North Rhine-Westphalia nab suspected million-dollar con artist hiding out in Kenya.
A shady organization, allegedly headed by a 50-year-old Danish man, is believed to have orchestrated a shady tax scheme known as a VAT carousel, which is a common tactic used by fraudsters in European trade. There's word that goods are being shunted through murky business and phantom company networks, skipping countries, and dodging VAT payments. Allegedly, some of these illicit dealings went down in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The 50-year-old's escape to Africa was purportedly due to a bust against the criminal syndicate in Denmark and North Rhine-Westphalia in November. During this raid, another prime suspect was nabbed. Rumor has it that the swoop by Kenyan authorities was preceded by a lengthy undercover op by North Rhine-Westphalian sleuths.
A European warrant was put out for the 50-year-old's arrest. German law enforcement finally managed to grab the guy in early June at Frankfurt Airport. A number of authorities were part of the international teamwork, including the European Public Prosecutor's Office, Danish security agencies, the Tax Office Nuremberg, and the Federal Criminal Police Office.
Read also:
The suspected million-dollar con artist, who was originally from Denmark, had allegedly fled to Africa to avoid prosecution after a VAT carousel fraud scheme was uncovered in North Rhine-Westphalia. The EU and several German authorities, including the LKA, were actively involved in tracking him down. The fraud scheme involved consumer electronics and million-dollar sums. The fugitive was eventually apprehended in June at Frankfurt Airport, marking a significant win for international law enforcement. Despite his escape to Kenya, the 50-year-old fraudster's activities had been under investigation by an undercover team from North Rhine-Westphalia.
