Nuremberg (dpa / lby) - Two members of a network of millions of fraudsters have been sentenced to four and a half years in prison by the Nuremberg-Fürth district court. According to the chamber, the two 28 and 31-year-old men were part of an international fraud ring that brought dozens of investors together at least 23 million euros. The defendants had admitted the allegations made by the public prosecutor at the beginning of the trial. According to a court spokeswoman, Tuesday's verdict is not yet final.
Until they were arrested in Sofia, Bulgaria, the men were part of a network that organized investors to cheat them - via professional-looking online platforms and by telephone. Some of the cheated paid in six-figure amounts in the hope of rich returns and hardly saw anything of it again. So far, the investigators have not been able to identify all the backers of the fraud ring.
The 28-year-old was convicted of commercial and gang fraud in 472 cases. In addition, assets of 168,200 euros are to be confiscated from him. The public prosecutor had demanded, among other things, a prison sentence of five and a half years for the man.
The 31-year-old also received his prison sentence for commercial and gang fraud - but in 892 cases. Value compensation of 368,300 euros is to be collected from him. The prosecution had spoken out in their plea for a prison sentence of five years and three months.
The defendants' defense attorneys had not made any specific requests about the amount of a possible sentence.
There have already been trials against members of the network in Landshut, Düsseldorf and in August in Nuremberg. The accused were each sentenced to several years in prison.
