The main defendant in the case of qualified fraud against construction contractors in 2021 was sentenced this Monday to seven years in prison by the Vila Real Court.
The defendant admitted to committing the crimes, indicating that the scheme served to support a gambling addiction.
The case began in 2021 and involves 13 defendants ranging in age from 24 to 60 years old.
The main defendant in the case is a 35-year-old man who has appeared in court on charges of 30 offenses of skilled fraud involving contractors and a former expatriate, as well as 15 offenses of money laundering and 19 offenses of using an identity document.
The panel of judges of the Vila Real court increased the number of fraud cases to 31 and sentenced the defendant to a single penalty of seven years in prison, considering that he had made fraud his way of life.
In addition to the construction businessmen, the defendant also defrauded a former expat in Luxembourg who convinced him that he could repay that country’s social security funds for two operations he had undergone, out of €16,800.
Through the fraudulent scheme, the defendant illegally made a profit of 77 thousand euros.
Author: Sarah Carneiro This Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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