German Students Sentenced To Community Work For Purchasing Counterfeit Euro Notes

Two students were sentenced to community work in Dresden, Germany for ordering counterfeit euro notes from the dark web.

Recently, the 20-year-old Felix H. and the 21-year-old Max L. were standing trial for purchasing counterfeit euro bills from the dark net, which they intended to put into circulation in order to make profits. Both of the defendants admitted their crimes before the court. Felix, who is studying media informatics, said that while he was browsing the dark web he came across offers advertising counterfeit money. The student admitted that he ordered 10 pieces of fake 50 euro notes for his friend Max (the other defendant) from an Italian vendor on the dark web paying 210 euros in total.

According to Felix, he needed money for his driving license and he did not want to ask for money from his mother. He added that he did not want his mother to “lie in his pocket forever”. Max showed remorse during the court trial saying that he did “only see the profit, not the thought”. Later on, both of the defendants realized that buying the counterfeit notes was a really bad idea. According to Felix, the quality of the notes was so bad that they could have only used them “in the dark”. The student told the judge that when someone knocked on his door, he thought it was the postal courier who arrived with the counterfeit euro notes. However, it was not a postal worker who knocked on the door of the student, but the Dresden police.

“The Italian authorities had informed the BKA (Federal Criminal Police Office) that the money was being sent, and the LKA (State Criminal Police Office) – the LKA informed us,” the chief commissioner, who was standing at the door of Felix, said in a statement.

“Your questionable, outrageous business idea went very well,” the judge said sarcastically.

Since the students had no previous convictions, confessed, and had good social forecasts, the judge spared them from prison, but even from probation. The judge sentenced both of the defendants to 100 hours of non-profit community work.

However, not everyone was so lucky as Felix and Max. Earlier this week, the District Court of Ludwigsburg sentenced a 22-year-old defendant from Gerlingen, Germany to one year in prison for ordering counterfeit euro bills from the dark side of the internet. Additionally, the judge ordered the suspect to complete 80 hours of community work.

Before the District Court of Ludwigsburg, the 22-year-old confessed that he ordered the fake notes from the dark web, however, he said that he did so simply since he wanted to know how purchases on the darknet worked. On the other hand, the judge told the defendant that the court had heard a lot, but they “do not have to believe everything”.

According to the defendant’s testimony, he ordered two fake 50 euro notes from the dark web in April, last year. For the counterfeit money, he paid 22.50 euros. However, the vendor scammed him since instead of receiving two 50 euro bills, only one 50 euro note arrived along with a 10 euro bill. While he got rid of the 50 euro note since its apparently poor quality, he kept the 10 euro bill. When law enforcement authorities searched the home of the suspect, they found the counterfeit 10 euro note. Police started an investigation against the 22-year-old after the vendor, who sold the defendant the counterfeit euro notes, was arrested.

During the court trial, the defendant constantly claimed that he only browsed the dark net out of curiosity. However, the prosecutor told the 22-year-old that “no one believes him”. The prosecutor added that if the defendant did not want to purchase anything, why was he surfing the dark web.

“You’re not a big criminal,” the judge said before the sentencing. The defendant showed a positive social prognosis since he had his first working day at the time of the court trial. However, since the 22-year-old was previously convicted, the judge sentenced him to one year of imprisonment along with 80 hours of community work.