The Roma with the ransom note are sentenced to prison

Published 26 July 2024 at 15.44

Domestic. The Roma behind the 82,000 kroner bill at a restaurant in Malmö that received media attention today received their verdict from the district court. Five people are sentenced for several cases of serious fraud.

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It was on Christmas Day 2023 that a group consisting of around thirty Roma visited the restaurant Atmosfär in Malmö and ate and drank for SEK 82,157.

Among what was ordered was Dom Pérignon brand champagne for 8,300 kroner and large quantities of spirits – such as 104 hotshots for 100 kroner each.

When it came time to pay, the Roma demanded that the restaurant invoice the bill to a non-profit association. Billing was not approved by the restaurant staff and the party left the restaurant without paying.

The investigation has revealed that four of the defendants, who are all in custody in the case, have been involved in forming three non-profit associations for alleged charitable purposes. According to the statutes, the purpose would be to help “the needy”. The associations have subsequently, in addition to the incident at Atmosfär, been used to get credit and shop on invoice at various hotels, restaurants and shops. br />- It is simply that it is the founders themselves, their relatives and closest friends who make up “the needy”. It has been a matter of completely private living expenses for them such as food and household items as well as otherwise pure luxury consumption of designer items, lavish restaurant visits and exclusive hotel stays with spas, says Chief Councilor Ylva Teurneau in a statement.

The indictment has a total of 32 various acts committed during the period August 2022 to March 2024.

– According to the district court's assessment, it has been a question of a systematic criminal scheme of an almost professional nature. Therefore, most of the crimes are assessed as serious fraud, says Ylva Teurneau.

The four detainees are each convicted of a large number of serious frauds. In addition, some of them are convicted of attempted gross fraud and fraud of the normal degree. Two of the defendants are also sentenced for four and six cases of contribution offences, respectively.

The defendants are sentenced in cases where it is proven that they were involved in the respective act. In a few cases, it is not proven that a person was involved and then that person has been acquitted.

A 43-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman are sentenced to two years in prison each. A 34-year-old man is sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. A 37-year-old woman is sentenced to one year and six months in prison.

A 29-year-old woman who was not deprived of liberty in the case is sentenced to four counts of gross fraud and two counts of fraud. The woman is sentenced to prison for one year.

An additional person charged with embezzlement is fully acquitted.

The defendants must pay damages to the affected companies to the extent they are convicted of crimes.< /p>

The 43-year-old man, who the district court finds has actually been a representative of the associations, has been banned from business for three years.