Today the Public Prosecution Service demanded six months in prison against Gerrit W. (44) from Amstelveen. He allegedly defrauded several residents of Amstelveen, Aalsmeer and Kudelstaart in 2018 and 2019. This amounts to hundreds to thousands of euros per victim.
Gerrit W. is said to have persuaded his victims to make large down payments for various jobs. Instead of delivering the work he promised, he would have always dug in his heels. Promises that the money would be repaid were also not kept. “This is not bad entrepreneurship, but a scam,” says the prosecutor.
Sometimes he would have posed as a furniture upholsterer, other times as a handyman or gardener. The suspect allegedly used the same method with six victims and stole hundreds to thousands of euros each time. The man usually introduced himself as Ger, but in some cases he used the name Peter.
Some victims received professional flyers in their letterboxes. Other ‘customers’ were approached by a man at home. The suspect is also said to have been active on Marktplaats and Werkspot.
His ‘customers’ decided to press charges. The link was made with Gerrit W. via the bank account number, the telephone number on the flyer and the license plate of the car. Victims who were shown a photo of him confirmed that he had defrauded them.
“This is not bad entrepreneurship, but a scam”
In another case, the suspect bought a sloop for 16,000 euros via Marktplaats. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect showed proof of payment to the seller, but in the end it turned out that the amount had not actually been transferred. The seller has now returned the boat, but in damaged condition. This damage was supposed to be compensated, but that did not happen.
In addition, he allegedly lied to Albert Heijn that he had not received a deposit slip after returning an empty crate of beer and that he had a stolen bicycle in his possession.
Previous conviction
The Public Prosecution Service believes that there is sufficient evidence to lock W. up for fraud and fencing. “The suspect was a forewarned person,” says the public prosecutor. W. has already been convicted of fraud. He was still on probation.
The officer demands ten months in prison, four months of which are conditional, with a probation period of two years. He must also reimburse the victims for the amounts taken from them.
The victims were scammed in 2018 and 2019, and have therefore been waiting for their money for a long time. The suspect is said not to have defrauded anyone since then and says he has had a full-time job for a month and a half.
“It was never my intention for it to turn out this way”
A prison sentence would not be a good signal, according to the suspect’s lawyer. He therefore argues for community service and a suspended prison sentence. W. himself also emphasizes that he does not want to go to prison. “Then I’ll lose everything again. It was never my intention for it to turn out this way. I will promise you that it will never happen again.”
The verdict will be announced in two weeks.