This Monday, the Aveiro court sentenced a woman suspected of defrauding dozens of people of more than half a million euros to three and a half years of suspended imprisonment with the promise of doubling the money invested in a short period of time.
Of the various situations described in the indictment, the court found only five proven, as a result of which the victims suffered losses totaling 47,500 euros, which were recognized as lost in favor of the state.
The court also found that at the time of the events the defendant did not lead a “steady lifestyle”, thus finding a way to cover her expenses.
The 39-year-old woman was accused of 23 offenses of qualified fraud, but only one of these offenses was tried continuously, receiving a sentence of three and a half years in prison, suspended for the same period.
The defendant was acquitted of three offenses related to money laundering and one of forgery, which she was also accused of.
During the trial, the defense sought to demonstrate that the facts presented to the defendant “began with a well-known game of wheel, a game of risk and greed.”
“Many people won in this circle scheme, and those who lost knew they could lose,” said lawyer Anibal Pinto, adding that the defendant “was a client of the circle and ultimately became a victim of the circle.”
According to the indictment of the prosecutor’s office (MP), the events occurred between 2009 and 2013.
The indictment alleges that the defendant developed a plan whereby she encouraged people she knew, or friends of those people, to transfer large sums of money to her, promising to make investments that would yield high returns within a short period of time. time, usually one to two weeks.
However, the defendant never made any profitable investments, limiting herself to transferring as “profit” part of the money received from other people, which was achieved by rotating the amounts transferred to her.
By such actions, according to investigators, the accused managed to embezzle about 565 thousand euros, which she used for her own purposes and for the benefit of her family.
Before the start of the trial, the court dismissed the civil case in a civil claim for compensation brought by three plaintiffs who reached an agreement with the defendant to pay the amount due.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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