The accused Ralf K. with his lawyer Ehssan Khaza Photo: Olaf Wagner
By Matthew Becker
He was the flagship trainee of his company. Football coach in his free time. Until Ralf K. from Brandenburg gambled away 840,000 euros in sports betting. The slender man was now before the Tiergarten District Court for fraud and forgery.
His crime: Ralf K. (married, two children) forged 26 invoices for fictitious work and provided his bank details and had over 550,000 euros transferred to him. Only a suspected money laundering report exposed the scam. Advertisement, raid on Ralf K. in Brandenburg.
Well-known defender Ehssan Khazaeli: “Even before the trial began, an agreement was reached with the court. The content was that only a comprehensive confession can protect the accused from a sensitive prison sentence.
The confession: In 2015, Ralf K. (married, two children) built a house for his family. Disadvantage: The journey to work with the regional train was two hours each time. During this time, he killed boredom with online betting. “I started with small sports betting. Later I played blackjack in the online casino,” the accused said. At first he thought gambling was harmless. Later he even played at night, secretly under the covers, according to his lawyer.
Ehssan Khazaeli: “He is ashamed of his actions, wants to make amends for the damage and puts aside 1,000 euros a month.“
The lightning verdict: Despite commercial fraud in 26 cases, Ralf K. only received a prison sentence of one year and eleven months, suspended for three years!