19-year-old charged with fraud involvement – proceedings dismissed in Augsburg
A pregnant 19-year-old stood trial in Augsburg after 60,000 euros from a call centre fraud scheme were transferred to her account. After months in custody, the proceedings were dismissed.
Heavily pregnant in court – proceedings against fraud suspect dismissed
Miriam Y., a 19-year-old Greek woman, entered the courtroom of the Augsburg criminal justice centre with slow steps. She was in her ninth month of pregnancy; delivery was planned for two weeks later. As augsburger-allgemeine.de reports, she nonetheless had to answer charges of fraud – accompanied by two armed police officers who had brought her from her detention in Aichach women's prison, where she had been held since June.
In December 2025, an Augsburg company fell victim to a call centre fraud gang. A caller posed as a bank employee and warned the victim of alleged unauthorised access to her account. To protect it, the managing director downloaded software and entered her banking details. As a result, a total of 200,000 euros was withdrawn – of which 60,000 euros went to an account in Miriam Y.'s name. According to the prosecutor, she was charged with "organised and commercial fraud".
During the two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the defendant appeared distant and could only remember seasons, not specific dates. She explained that she had opened the account at her parents' request together with them, but possessed neither a bank card nor access to it. A medical examination carried out beforehand had confirmed that her pregnancy complaints were normal and the baby was doing well, her lawyer Donatella Angino reported.
The court's review of her account showed only two transfers from the Augsburg company – otherwise hardly any transactions, no regular income, no recurring expenditures. Shortly before the judges conferred, a visitor spoke up: Miriam Y.'s husband. He insisted that his wife had nothing to do with the fraud and should be free to give birth to her child.
The prosecution then changed the charges. The 19-year-old was now facing the allegation of reckless money laundering. The court ultimately dismissed the proceedings – taking into account the particular circumstances that she had spent several months of her pregnancy in pre-trial detention. Miriam Y.'s hands rested protectively on her belly. When the verdict was announced, a smile appeared on her face for the first time.
Source: Google News DE — Crime (de)