38-year-old man charged

DJ allegedly ripped off 59 victims: €800,000 in damages

Instead of the DJ booth, the 38-year-old could be facing bars outside the window.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/nikkytok)

A DJ from the Linz area allegedly not only played music, but also conned others. And on a grand scale: the 38-year-old allegedly promised 59 victims large profits from crypto investments, but used the money for sports betting. The public prosecutor's office has charged him with serious commercial fraud.

An expert in music and investments - this is apparently how a 38-year-old disc jockey from the Linz-Land district presented himself. For the time being, however, it's all over for the DJ: He has been in custody since January. And now the public prosecutor's office has filed charges on suspicion of serious commercial fraud, which carries a penalty of one to ten years in prison.

Sports betting instead of profit distribution
The 38-year-old is alleged to have offered a total of 59 victims - including at least one professional footballer - financial investments since the early summer of 2022, primarily in cryptocurrencies, and to a lesser extent in agricultural projects in Romania. In return, the DJ promised profits of three and four times the investment amount in some cases.

"However, he is accused of never investing the money, but instead using it to finance his lifestyle," says Ulrike Breiteneder from the Linz public prosecutor's office. The busy DJ is said to have spent the money on sports betting in particular.

"The amount of damage he is accused of is just under 830,000 euros," Breiteneder told the "Krone" newspaper.

DJ is "mostly confessing"
The scam was uncovered after individual investors initially filed a complaint. Investigators subsequently found evidence such as investment agreements during a search of an apartment. Other victims were gradually identified.

According to Breiteneder, the 38-year-old is "mostly confessing". However, there are minor points where the statements of the accused do not match those of the alleged victims. These will probably be clarified in court and the trial could take place as early as the fall. First of all, however, the accused DJ has two weeks to contest the indictment.