Trial in Feldkirch

Beggar was not “deaf and dumb” after all

The accused pretended to be deaf and dumb in order to collect donations, which he then pocketed himself.

(Bild: Dorn Chantall/Krone KREATIV)

A Romanian with a criminal record posed as a Samaritan to earn extra money. Now he is serving a partially suspended prison sentence.

"Yes, I made a mistake. But I was in need," the interpreter translates the statements of the accused Romanian. During the trial on Wednesday, he not only confessed, but also used his allegedly precarious situation at the time as a tear-jerker. He cites his twelve siblings and the fact that, as the father of four children, he was practically starving. And regular work has simply been a bit difficult in the past. The 28-year-old has nothing more than odd jobs to show for it. But he does have seven entries in his criminal record, four of which are relevant. On Wednesday, the man received his eighth previous conviction for aggravated commercial fraud. Judge Theo Rümmele handed down a non-final sentence of nine months in prison, six of which were suspended.

Good faith exploited
The judge considered it proven that the accused had repeatedly traveled to Vorarlberg between May and October last year to exploit the good faith of others and enrich himself financially with their donations. And the busy criminal seemed to use every means at his disposal. With a clipboard under his arm, forged ID and an equally forged template from the regional association for disabled and deaf-mute children, the man asked for donations for a good cause in front of department stores and shopping streets. In order not to miss the advertising effect, he mimed the deaf-mute himself.

Sometimes he collected ten euros, sometimes twenty or even fifty euros. In October last year, the police put a spoke in the wheel of the "deaf-mute" pumper in front of a supermarket in Bregenz. The man was arrested and 140 euros were seized. Investigations revealed that at least 29 victims had been taken in by the Romanian. Now the Romanian has to go back behind bars. As he has already spent a total of 72 days in custody, he could be released as early as December 13 if the sentence becomes legally binding. The Romanian will therefore be able to spend Christmas with his extended family again.