Investigations - Suspected fraud in ice cream parlors - several searches
Due to suspicions of social security fraud in Eisdielen, authorities in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Nordrhine-Westphalia searched 57 business premises and apartments. According to the main customs office, computers, smartphones, and documents have been secured. Approximately 370 officials and 30 interpreters were involved. The investigations on behalf of the Nuremberg-Fürth Public Prosecutor's Office have been running for months, it was stated.
In several Eisdielen, there were indications that led to the initiation of criminal proceedings against several suspects and the search warrants. It concerns the suspicion of benefit fraud and minimum wage violation in an unknown number of cases. In addition, it is being checked whether there is an employment of foreign workers in violation of foreign law.
The Eisdielen are organized as branches, one of the suspects is said to be responsible for these. "The accused business owner allegedly deliberately employs 'cheap' labor from abroad in the Eisdielen, to whom he pays significantly less than the actually worked hours", the main customs office shared.
- The raid in North Rhine-Westphalia unearthed several pieces of evidence stored on the seized computers, potentially linking the case to multiple Ice cream parlors.
- Workers in the hospitality industry in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are under suspicion of committing fraud by working less than the stipulated hours and not declaring their income.
- Regensburg's Ice cream parlors might be implicated in this widespread crime, as authorities stated their determination to uncover any wrongdoings in the sector.
- Despite intensified searches in numerous Ice cream parlors and personal residences, the exact extent of the suspected fraud and minimum wage violations remains unclear.
- The search for evidence related to the suspicion of fraud in the Ice cream parlors has led to tension between the authorities and the local business community, affecting the usually welcoming atmosphere of Bavaria's hospitality industry.
- The ongoing investigation in the Eisdielen sector by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Regensburg and its surrounding areas reveals the complexity of crime in the digital age, where computer records and smartphone communications play a critical role in uncovering deceitful activities.
