Suspended sentence for man after counterfeit money distribution
A 34-year-old man was sentenced in Ebersberg for putting forged euro notes into circulation.
Suspended sentence for man after counterfeit money distribution
Before the Ebersberg district court, a 34-year-old man was sentenced for distributing forged banknotes. The court imposed a prison sentence of one year and ten months, which was suspended on probation. In addition, the convicted man must perform 80 hours of community service.
Officers discovered the suspect during a routine check in the Alter Botanischer Garten. There, an acquaintance of the man was carrying a rucksack containing part of the counterfeit money. By means of a health insurance card in a wallet and traces obtained during identity verification procedures, investigators found the defendant's former address in the northern part of the district.
During the search, police found two still-sealed parcels containing forged 100- and 200-euro notes. The banknotes had been purchased online. Some of them bore the marking "Prop Copy", which had already been rubbed off in some cases. According to the statement of an investigating officer, the notes lacked all the security features of genuine currency, such as watermarks. Nevertheless, they could go undetected in business transactions in some cases.
The defendant admitted to having obtained the notes from an internet merchant. Initially, he claimed he wanted to use them for a video project by a rap artist. However, after a conversation with his legal representative, he made a comprehensive confession. He had handed over notes worth a total of 1,740 euros to a friend.
In his reasoning, presiding judge Frank Gellhaus made clear that merely putting counterfeit money into circulation is punishable under law – regardless of whether it is simple paper or warning notices are printed on it. If the public were to lose trust in the authenticity of cash and every banknote had to be checked, that would not be socially sustainable. The court viewed the confession made in court as a mitigating factor.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung