On Monday 3rd of February 2019, a 31-year-old Austrian man from Vorarlberg received a suspended prison term of ten months, €6000 penalty, and additional €400 fine for the court proceedings.

The culprit had ordered 48 false banknotes of €50 from the darkweb. He then paid a pizza and a taxi cab with the fake euros. However, not even a month after the darknet order had been placed, police has raided the man’s residence securing the leftover fake currency. More shockingly for the prosecution, the man had a stable job with a monthly salary of €1900.

The 31-year-old Austrian defendant sitting in court. © VOL.AT / Eckert

Nobody in court has disputed the naivety of the man’s illegal actions. Pledging for a lenient sentence, defense attorney Stefan Denifl had this to declare:

“My client has a good job, leads a decent lifestyle, and regrets his rudeness very much.” He continued saying that he had fallen under temptation.

The sentence is final. According to the Austrian Penal Code, whoever knowingly inserts into circulation counterfeit money, is liable for punishment of no less than one year in prison. Furthermore, there weren’t any aggravating circumstances such as major economic damage, acting on a commercial basis, being part of a gang, or using violence. Thus, the defendant received a suspended sentence and a hefty fine.

SOURCE: https://www.vol.at/6000-euro-strafe-fuer-falschgeld-aus-dem-darknet/6083106

RESOURCE: http://germanlawarchive.iuscomp.org/