German Ordered Counterfeit Money Which He Sent To Iranian Relative To “Help” Him

A man was sentenced to pay a fine in Giessen, Germany for ordering counterfeit euro bills from the dark web, which he partly sent to a relative in Iran and spent the rest in a nightclub.

A 24-year-old man was standing before the Giessen court for money laundering charges on May 16. Instead of the usual prison sentence in such cases (with a suspended sentence probably), the magistrate court, however, recognized that the current case was a minor one and sentenced the defendant to pay a fine instead of a harsher punishment.

At first, the 24-year-old apparently was in contact with a relative living in Iran. According to the court documents, the two used the dark web to communicate since this was the only safe method for communication. If the Iranian relative used the ordinary means of communication, he would have faced possible political persecution. When the Iranian relative told the 24-year-old that he was experiencing financial difficulties, the defendant told him that he would help him. This was the reason why the suspect was standing before the Giessen court this week.

According to the court documents, the 24-year-old came across an offer while he was browsing the dark web. The defendant took the opportunity and ordered 500 euros (10 pieces of 50 euro bills) of counterfeit money for 200 euros.

“A completely stupid idea,” the 24-year-old admitted before the court. Nevertheless, in February last year, he ordered 500 euros in counterfeit notes from a vendor residing in Landshut operating a forgeries factory, the court document stated. The counterfeit money arrived shortly after the defendant placed the order. The 24-year-old put nine of the bills in an envelope and sent them to the Iranian relative. However, the defendant retained one 50 euro note for himself, which he used later in a nightclub in Giessen.

According to the credible testimony of the defendant, and in comparison with his first statements in the police interrogation on which the accusation was based, the case now looks quite different. At the start of the case, the prosecution did not want to charge the 24-year-old since they thought it was a minor case. At the beginning, law enforcement authorities suspected that the defendant tried to use counterfeit money in the nightclub by coincidence or accident. In the present case, however, the accused had deliberately obtained counterfeit money and put the bills into circulation. Even if a conviction resulting in a prison sentence entails an entry to the criminal record, the prosecution demanded a three-month probation penalty along with a payment of 1,000 euros to a non-profit organization. The defendant, on the other hand, asked the court to take on a minor case and set the amount of the fine at his discretion.

The court, as the judge expressly emphasized, laid the case for the defendant’s overall image, and the will to prevent the 24-year-old from endangering his professional future because of a criminal record. As a result, the judge sentenced the defendant to a fine of 90 daily rates of 50 euros (4,500 euros in total). Since both the prosecution and the 24-year-old waived their right to appeal, the verdict became immediately final.