"Funny in the head"

Quizkaiser: “Profit does funny things in your head”

First the Viennese won a quiz show, then he ended up in court as a commercial fraudster.(Bild: Anja Richter, stock.adobe.com)

In the retrial of his welfare and credit fraud case - this time before a court of lay assessors - a Viennese man who was once celebrated on TV has now confessed: He applied for minimum benefits and concealed the big win. The late truth helped him to receive a lenient sentence.

The odyssey surrounding a fraudster from Vienna, whose life has already taken numerous twists and turns, should finally be over. The first verdict against the man was overturned due to lack of jurisdiction and a new one was handed down in Vienna on Tuesday. After similarly arduous proceedings as in the first case.

First the Viennese man won a quiz show, then he ended up in court as a commercial fraudster.(Bild: Anja Richter, stock.adobe.com)

Once again, the original defendant could not be found several times and mail could not be delivered. At the previous trial date, two police officers were even waiting outside the courtroom for the Viennese to finally collect outstanding administrative fines in the five-figure euro range.

He lived a year in luxury and blew his winnings.

Der Verfahrenshelfer über seinen Mandanten.

This time the quiz show emperor, who won hundreds of thousands of euros on a TV show a few years ago, appeared in the Vienna Provincial Court in a too-tight checked suit with a hat, gilet and three-day beard.

And finally: after numerous "fairytale lessons", he confessed extensively for the first time. Yes, he had applied for social welfare and concealed the big win. And yes, he had been aware that he might not be able to repay the loan of 40,000 euros that he had fraudulently obtained.

You think you own the world.

Der Angeklagte über die Zeit nach dem Gewinn.

He only denies using fake sick notes so that his minimum income is not reduced. "I didn't issue this sick note," but his general practitioner confirms as a witness that the document must have been forged.

Twelve months conditional, not legally binding
The quiz show emperor receives a lenient twelve-month conditional prison sentence, not legally binding, for the serious commercial fraud, which is estimated to have caused damage of more than 50,000 euros. At the end of the trial, he becomes melancholy: "When you win something like that, it does funny things to your head. You think you own the world," he says and adds: "I apologize."

It sounds as if, looking back, he would have preferred never to have emerged from the TV show as the acclaimed winner.