This is how a 26-year-old ripped off the city of St. Pölten

2023-11-27 13:10:00

The 26-year-old also received a fine of 960 euros (240 daily rates of four euros). The St. Pölten regional court’s guilty verdict for serious commercial fraud is legally binding. The defendant confessed during the jury trial.

From October 2021 to April of this year, the man is said to have caused total damage of exactly 260,950 euros using manipulated receipts. According to the public prosecutor, the now ex-employee of the magistrate initially always filled out the relevant documents with low amounts. He then collected the signature of a colleague from the second control group, which was required to comply with the in-house four-eyes principle – and later, unnoticed, added several digits to the sum shown on the paper. Instead of 50 euros, for example, the receipt said up to 14,850 euros.

“No concerns”

With the documents manipulated in this way, the accused went to the bank, where the cash sums were paid out to him as requested. The representative of the prosecution stated that there were “no concerns” from the institute. The 26-year-old was an employee of the finance department from 2017 and was therefore known to the bank. In order to conceal the actual cash balance, the accused posted the larger amounts of withdrawals to various other accounts.

“It was always the same system,” the defendant admitted. In his statement, he cited gambling addiction as the reason for his approach to the meeting. At the beginning of 2022 in particular, he “fell further and further into a hole”, also because his long-held dream of a football career ultimately did not come true. “I was definitely afraid the whole time,” the accused admitted. But he ignored the danger of getting caught. “From where I stand now, I would never do it like that again.”

Invested in FIFA and Fortnite

According to his own statements, the 26-year-old invested heavily in expansions of the online games FIFA and Fortnite with the money he earned. “I don’t know” where the rest of the money went. Luxury items, branded handbags, shoes and a new car were seized by investigators at the defendant’s place of residence. However, the man does not claim to have purchased these items with the illegally obtained funds.

40 fixes were carried out. Suspected irregularities in other bookings and a subsequent inspection led to the Lower Austrian being exposed.

“Quiet and unobtrusive”

The 26-year-old was dismissed without notice after the shortfalls became known in May. In the future, the man, described by a superior as “quiet and inconspicuous,” would like to go back to work and “ideally return everything.” The obligation to repay the 260,950 euros was also determined by the court on Monday. In addition, the Lower Austrian was ordered to continue psychotherapy that had begun in the summer due to his gambling addiction.

There has also been a political discussion surrounding the matter in recent months, which resulted in a special audit by the city auditor. From the ÖVP’s point of view, the malversations could have been prevented. The town hall always rejected the allegations and attributed the “criminal energy of an individual” to the meeting. In a reaction to the verdict on Monday, the city’s view was “fully confirmed”. “As soon as we became aware of it, we acted and provided the investigating authority with the complete documentation,” recalled St. Pölten Mayor Matthias Stadler (SPÖ).

The second test report on the Malversations is now available. “The Court of Auditors recommends above all the adoption of an appropriate financial regulation, compliance with the four-eyes principle, compliance with the principle of ‘no booking without a receipt’ and of course ongoing checks and controls,” said a statement from the city ÖVP. For the local council meeting on Monday (today), the People’s Party is aiming for a resolution supported by all parliamentary groups to improve the control system.