Prison again – ex-prisoners as money launderers: studied law in prison

The 62-year-old is not for the first time in court. And it’s not the first time he’s been sentenced to prison. He has already spent 18 years in prison for fraud crimes. But he did not sit still: the accused first studied law in his cell, and during his next sentence, he began his doctoral studies.

Fellow prisoners as accomplices
Free again, he worked as a corporate lawyer – at least officially. In the background, he had already started setting up an illegal insurance system and money laundering network while in prison. The 62-year-old mainly recruited former fellow inmates and lured them with the promise of easy, big money. They are all now in the dock of the Vienna court.

Self-disclosure reimbursed
The lawyer himself went to the police and filed a complaint. He makes a full confession to the police and takes care of moneylenders. Qualifies as a crown witness. According to his lawyer Manfred Arbacher-Stöger, the suspect was also assured of his status.

However, he was arrested and is on trial with his accomplices. “It is clear that the money laundering was not in order, but then the law was violated,” argues Arbacher-Stöger.

No leniency and further imprisonment
But the accused lawyer’s responsibility thwarts his plans: while he was always transparent before the trial, he shifts the blame from himself to Judge Christoph Zonsics-Kral. He too claims to have only been used and demonstrated by a Turkey-based organization. On the second day of the hearing, his leniency status was revoked.

While his accomplices are sentenced to between 18 months and three years in prison, he has the next seven years to complete his PhD – and in prison again!