Ex-professional football player Stefan Stangl (33) appears remorseful in his criminal trial. The former international is said to have promised his victims lucrative investments or the sale of expensive watches, but speculated on the money he received. In the future he wants to “bake small sandwiches”.
Former professional footballer Stefan Stangl is currently on trial before the Vienna Regional Court. The Styrian was called up to the national team in his heyday and played for Sturm, Salzburg, Rapid and Austria.
He tells judge Christian Gneist that he “invested” a lot of money after his sports career: “I acquired technologies that allowed me to gain new crypto income,” he says, adding: “I re-speculated everything.” I have to be honest and say that.”
Rapid rise, deep fall
“The defendant has no longer had regular work after his professional career. “In fact, he decided to invest in cryptocurrencies,” the prosecutor said, opening the process of serious commercial fraud and embezzlement. When the money ran out, he got more through fraud. In total he is said to have brought his victims around 250,000 euros.
Expensive watches, Thermomix, …
For example, he pretended to sell the deceived people’s expensive watches and give them the proceeds – which he did not do. He received, among other things, a Rolex worth 43,000 euros. He also falsely stated that he sold watches. The buyers transferred a lot of money, but never saw any goods in return. Fraud ‘in the other direction’ is also accused: he allegedly bought a Thermomix for 4,000 euros, but did not pay for it.
“I quit from one day to the next because of an injury,” he says about the fact that he could not cope with suddenly earning drastically less. “I was greedy and always wanted more and more.”
Daughter never seen
Stangl has been in custody for six months: “I have been in seven different prisons. I want to go back to my family.” The suspect has never seen his daughter, who was born in December. He looks back critically on his football career: “I was very quickly in the sun and then in hell. I don’t want to anymore either.”
“My client earned a lot of money when he was young and could not cope when this was no longer the case,” emphasizes his lawyer Bernhard Lehofer.
Stangl admits to being guilty of all 18 facts, but the compensation is partly not as high as the victims demanded: “I did not come across a Thermomix for 4,000 euros during my internet research,” says Lehofer.
Prominent victims
“I earned very well in football by Austrian standards. “I wanted it to continue like this,” Stangl said during the trial. But in the future he wants to “bake smaller sandwiches”. The victims are often former football colleagues, and the victims also include well-known names. A verdict is expected this afternoon.
Source: Krone
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