“The bomb burst in September 2021,” says the accused to judge Josef Lautner. With the bomb, the 29-year-old from the Innviertel region means the exposure of his constant fraud at the expense of his former employer, a well-known car dealership in the Ried district.
The accused has to answer to a court of lay judges in Ried for serious commercial fraud and embezzlement, there is a risk of several years in prison. The 29-year-old was employed for ten years, including as a car salesman. “The accused enjoyed the trust of management. He used this to get money for his gambling addiction,” says prosecutor Alois Ebner. Again and again, the defendant gave his own account details when selling cars, not those of his employer.
He also frequently took money from clients personally and put it in his own pocket. A crime period from 2020 to autumn 2021 is accused. “But I started doing it in April 2018,” admits the accused. The amount of damage amounts to more than 360,000 euros. The defendant gambled away a large part of the money in online casinos.
“You will ask yourself, how can you be so stupid, something like this has to be discovered sooner or later. The defendant knew that it would come to this. But due to his gambling addiction, he was under enormous pressure. Actually, he wanted the money win back and pay back so he doesn’t lose his job. It’s extremely sad how he’s ruined his future by doing so,” says the defender, adding: “Some are online casinos without licenses. A law firm will try to bring lawsuits against these providers to get as much money back as possible.”
The defendant, who has two previous convictions and is the father of a one-and-a-half-year-old son, is facing the shambles of his existence, and private bankruptcy is being sought.
“Ashamed of Gambling Addiction”
“I always wanted to close the financial holes with even higher stakes. I always hid my gambling addiction from my family, I was so ashamed of it,” said the accused to the presiding judge Josef Lautner.
A big support for him is the support of his family. The defendant’s wife and father sit as listeners in the jury room. “How should I imagine that, how did it go?” Prosecutor Ebner is interested in the suspect’s gambling habits. “Before I got home from work, I quickly turned to the casino. Otherwise, I usually grabbed my cell phone from the couch at home and pressed autoplay. Nobody noticed. The online providers were showing winnings of up to offered ten million euros. My goal was to be able to recoup the loss. It destroyed so much for me,” says the accused, who apologizes to his former superiors in the courtroom. “I would like to thank the company and apologize. It was great work in a family environment.”
In 2012, at the age of 19, the Innviertler was sentenced to 15 months in prison for serious fraud and commercial theft. “Unfortunately I was addicted to gambling even then.” But those times are over. He hasn’t lost a single euro since September 2021, and he also started therapy, but had to stop it due to the corona situation. “I’m surprised how easily, according to their own statements, they got over their gambling addiction,” says public prosecutor Ebner with a doubtful expression.
The court of lay judges sentenced the accused to three years in prison, one year of which was unconditional. Probation is ordered, and the accused is instructed to undergo psychotherapeutic therapy for his gambling addiction. The judgment is already final.
Source: Nachrichten
