"Aktionator" indicted

The wolf in sheep’s clothing: hundreds of coats scammed

Official auction houses, newspaper advertisements and convincing websites: A 47-year-old man pulled out all the stops to talk victims out of gold, paintings, carpets and, above all, furs. The promised auction never materialized. Now he is facing extensive charges in the Vienna Provincial Court. 

For years, a German was up to mischief throughout Austria - under the guise of various auction houses, as reported by the "Krone" ombudswoman. These were also officially registered, placed newspaper advertisements and used professional websites. Hundreds of victims - mostly from the older generation - entrusted the supposed auctioneer with furs, carpets, paintings and gold jewelry.

600 fur coats found in plastic bags
However, the auction never took place and the victims never saw their belongings again. Watches and coins ended up with pawnbrokers, the coats in the cellar - after the 46-year-old had also collected up to 200 euros in cleaning fees per fur. 600 of them were seized in plastic bags in a cellar compartment in Vienna-Leopoldstadt in August 2021.

Lawyer Peter Philipp defends the fur fraudster.(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

According to his defense lawyer Peter Philipp, the German is now charged with 283 counts. The damage is still unclear, the 150-page indictment quantifies it as follows: "An amount exceeding 300,000 euros in any case." And probably many times that amount, confirms lawyer Peter Philipp.

Many witnesses expected in the large jury courtroom
On April 19, his confessed client will be tried in the large jury courtroom in Vienna. Hundreds of victims are expected to attend the trial on charges including aggravated commercial fraud. The fake auctioneer was already convicted in a small part of the fur case in 2021. So this time it's about an additional sentence.